Melissa O’Dell (301) 734-5222
Angela Harless (202) 720-4623
USDA SEEKS COMMENT ON PEST RISK ANALYSIS FOR THE IMPORTATION OF DROPWORT LEAVES WITH STEMS FROM SOUTH KOREA
WASHINGTON, Nov. 21, 2007--The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) seeks comments on a pest risk analysis for the importation of dropwort leaves with stems from South Korea into the United States. Dropwort leaves and stems are vegetables commonly used in Korean dishes. This notice is published in the Nov. 21 Federal Register.
On July 18, USDA published a final rule that established a risk-based process for approving the importation of certain fruits and vegetables. This process continues stringent protections for U.S. agriculture, yet streamlines the lengthy rulemaking process which allows USDA plant health specialists to focus on more complex domestic and import issues. Under the new process, a notice announcing the availability of the pest risk analysis is published in the Federal Register with the opportunity for public comment. After the comment period ends, all comments are considered, and if appropriate, a notice is published in the Federal Register announcing that USDA will begin issuing import permits for the commodity.
The pest risk analysis completed for dropwort leaves and stems from South Korea concludes that these commodities can be safely imported into the United States subject to one or more of five designated phytosanitary measures, and therefore are eligible for the new notice-based approval process. The measures include port-of-entry inspection; approved postharvest treatment; a phytosanitary certificate verifying that the commodity originated from a pest-free area; as well as a phytosanitary certificate verifying that the commodity is free from a specified pest or pests or that the risk associated with the commodity can be mitigated through commercial practices.
To learn more about the revisions made to USDA’s fruit and vegetable regulations, please go to www.aphis.usda.gov and click on the Quarantine 56 hot issues link.
Consideration will be given to comments received on or before Jan. 22, 2008. Send an original and three copies of postal or commercial delivery comments to Docket No. APHIS-2007-0143, Regulatory Analysis and Development, PPD, APHIS, Station 3A-03.8, 4700 River Road, Unit 118, Riverdale, MD 20737-1238. Comments can be submitted at the Federal eRulemaking portal at http://www.regulations.gov by selecting “Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service” from the agency drop-down menu and clicking on “Submit.” In the Docket ID column, select APHIS-2007-0143 to submit or view public comments and to view supporting and related material available electronically.
Comments received are posted on the Regulations.gov Web site and also can be viewed 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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