Melissa O'Dell (301) 734-5222
Jerry Redding (202) 720-4623
USDA Extends Comment Period on Proposal Amending Import Regulations for Fruits and Vegetables
WASHINGTON, Aug. 1, 2006--The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service today announced that it is extending by 30 days the comment period on a proposal to establish criteria within its regulations that would allow APHIS to approve or reject certain fruits and vegetables for importation into the United States and to acknowledge pest-free areas in foreign countries using a noticed-based process.
The proposed process for approving imports would apply only to commodities that can be safely imported subject to inspection, treatment and/or certification that the commodity is pest free in the country of origin. The importation of fruits and vegetables that require additional phytosanitary measures would continue to require specific prior rulemaking.
APHIS would seek public comment on import requests by publishing notices in the Federal Register inviting comment on the findings of pest-risk analyses prior to authorizing any imports via followup notices. The proposed process is expected to simplify and expedite APHIS’ evaluation process for approving new imports and pest-free areas while continuing to safeguard American agriculture and provide an opportunity for public comment on the science associated with such imports.
APHIS is also proposing to make other changes, including:
- Establishing a “notice-based” process for acknowledging changes in the status of pest-free areas,
- Eliminating the listing of specific commodities that may be imported subject to certain types of risk-management measures,
- Providing for the issuance of special-use permits for fruits and vegetables, and
- Reorganizing the import regulations to consolidate and eliminate redundant requirements.
Notice of this extension is scheduled for publication in the Aug. 1 Federal Register.
Consideration will be given to comments received on or before Aug. 25. Send an original and three copies of postal mail or commercial delivery comments to Docket No. APHIS- 2005-0106, Regulatory Analysis and Development, PPD, APHIS, Station 3A-03.8, 4700 River Road, Unit 118, Riverdale, MD 20737-1238. If you wish to submit a comment using the Internet, go to the Federal eRulemaking portal at http://www.regulations.gov and, in the “Search Regulations and Federal Actions” box, select “Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service” from the agency drop-down menu; then click on “Submit.” In the Docket ID column, select APHIS-2005-0106 to submit or view public comments and to view supporting and related materials available electronically.
Comments are posted on the Regulations.gov Web siteand may also be viewed at USDA, Room 1141, South Building, 14th St. and Independence Ave., S.W., Washington, D.C., between 8 a.m. and 4:40 p.m., Monday through Friday, excluding holidays. To facilitate entry into the comment reading room, please call (202) 690-2817.
#
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/lpa/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.