Melissa O’Dell (301) 734-5222
Jerry Redding (202) 720-4623
USDA ALLOWS IMPORTATION OF CHRISTMAS AND EASTER CACTUS IN GROWING MEDIA FROM THE NETHERLANDS AND DENMARK
WASHINGTON, March 31, 2006--The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) today announced it has amended its regulations to allow, under certain conditions, Christmas cactus and Easter cactus established in an approved growing media to be imported into the United States from the Netherlands and Denmark.
Based on the scientific evidence resulting from a recent pest risk analysis, these articles can be safely imported into the United States under the stated conditions. To ensure that plant pests do not enter this country through the importation of these plants, APHIS is requiring that the plants be propagated from clean mother stock and grown in approved growing media, such as baked expanded clay pallets or cork, and in greenhouses that meet certain requirements for pest exclusion for a minimum of four months prior to the importation into the United States. In addition, the plants must be inspected in the greenhouse and found free of plant pests no more than 30 days prior to their exportation. APHIS selected these measures, among others, to effectively mitigate the risk of introducing plant pests into the United States.
The final rule is published in the March 31 Federal Register and becomes effective May 1.
#
Note to Reporters: USDA news releases, program announcements and media advisories are available on the Internet. Go to the APHIS news release page at http://www.aphis.usda.gov/newsroom/. Also, anyone with an e-mail address can sign up to receive APHIS press releases automatically. Send an e-mail message to lyris@mdrdlyriss10.aphis.usda.gov and leave the subject blank. In the message, type “subscribe press_releases.”