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Melissa O'Dell (301) 734-5222

Jerry Redding (202) 720-4623

**USDA PROPOSES AMENDMENTS TO IMPORT REGULATIONS ON FRUITS AND
VEGETABLES AND ANNOUNCES PUBLIC MEETINGS**

WASHINGTON, April 26, 2006--The U.S. Department of Agriculture's Animal
and Plant Health Inspection Service today announced 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 notice-based process.

A series of public meetings on the proposed amendments will be held in
Los Angeles, Calif., Seattle, Wash., and Miami, Fla., the week of May 23
and in Washington, D.C., on June 20.

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 will 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-mnagement measures,

-   Providing for the issuance of special use permits for fruits and
    vegetables, and

-   Reorganizing the import regulations to consolidate and eliminate
    redundant requirements.

The public meetings regarding this proposed rule will be held at the
following locations:

\- more -

\- 2 -

-   Seattle, Wash., Tuesday, May 23, at the Seattle Renaissance Hotel,
    515 Madison St., from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.

-   Los Angeles, Calif., Wednesday, May 24, at the Westin Los Angeles
    Airport, 5400 West Century Blvd., from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m.

-   Miami, Fla., Friday, May 26, at the Hilton Miami Airport, 5101 Blue
    Lagoon Drive from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.

-   Washington, D.C., Tuesday, June 20, at USDA's Jamie L. Whitten
    Building, 1400 Independence Ave., S.W., from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Onsite registration will take place 30 minutes prior to the scheduled
start of each meeting. Persons wishing to speak at one or all of the
public meetings may register in advance by phone or e-mail. To register
by phone, leave a reservation message at the regulatory analysis and
development voice mail box at (301) 734-8138. Please provide your name
and organization along with the location of the hearing you wish to
attend. To register by e-mail, please send the same information
described above to \<<ppq.public.hearings@aphis.usda.gov>\>. Please
write the location of the hearing you plan to attend in the subject
line. Advance registration for the meetings must be received by 3 p.m.,
on the day prior to the meeting you wish to attend. Additional details,
including parking information, can be found on the Internet at
\<http://www.aphis.usda.gov/ppq/Q56\>.

Notice of this proposed rule is scheduled for publication in the April
27 *Federal Register*.

Consideration will be given to comments received on or before July 26.
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](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 site and 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."