Melissa O’Dell (301) 734-5222
Jerry Redding (202) 720-4623
USDA PROPOSES TO ALLOW MANGO IMPORTS FROM INDIA
WASHINGTON, Nov. 16, 2006--The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service is proposing to amend its fruit and vegetable regulations to allow, under certain conditions, the importation of mangoes from India into the continental United States.
To ensure that plant pests do not enter the United States through the importation of this commodity, APHIS is proposing to require that the mangoes be treated with specified doses of irradiation at an APHIS-certified facility. Each shipment would also have to be accompanied by a phytosanitary certificate issued by the national plant protection organization of India with additional declarations providing specific information regarding the treatment and inspection of the mangoes, as well as the orchards from which they were grown. In addition, the fruit would be subject to inspection at the port of first arrival.
This action would allow for the importation of mangoes into the continental United States while continuing to provide protection against quarantine pests, such as the melon fly, a significant pest of melon crops.
Notice of this proposed rule is scheduled for publication in the Nov. 17 Federal Register.
Consideration will be given to comments received on or before Jan. 16, 2007. Send an original and three copies of postal mail or commercial delivery comments to Docket No. APHIS-2006-0121, 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, select "Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service" from the agency drop-down menu; then click on "Submit." In the Docket ID column, select APHIS-2006-0121 to submit or view public comments and to view supporting and related materials available electronically.
Comments are posted on the Regulations.gov Web site and may also be reviewed at USDA, Room 1141, South Building, 14th St. and Independence Ave., S.W., Washington, D.C., between 8 a.m. and 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday, excluding holidays. To facilitate entry into the comment reading room, please call (202) 690-2817.
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