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Tyrone Kemp (301) 734-8807

Jerry Redding (202) 720-4623

**USDA AMENDS REGULATIONS TO PROHIBIT INTERSTATE MOVEMENT OF CITRUS
NURSERY STOCK**

WASHINGTON, March 26\--The U.S. Department of Agriculture's Animal and
Plant Health Inspection Service is amending its citrus canker
regulations to prohibit, with limited exceptions, the interstate
movement of regulated nursery stock from the state of Florida.

APHIS is taking this action to clarify its regulations and to address
the high risk of disease spread associated with the interstate movement
of nursery stock from areas quarantined for citrus canker. The movement
of infected nursery stock has been identified worldwide as a major
pathway for the spread of citrus canker.

Calamondin and kumquat plants, which are highly resistant to citrus
canker, may move interstate from quarantined areas to areas other than
commercial citrus-producing areas only if they are shipped from the
nursery premises where they originated. In addition, calamondin and
kumquat growers must follow prescribed protocols to ensure that their
kumquat and calamondin plants are citrus canker free. In addition, the
regulations will continue to allow the movement of citrus nursery stock
from the quarantined areas for immediate export.

This interim rule clarifies a provision in APHIS' Aug. 1, 2006, interim
rule that quarantined the entire state of Florida for citrus canker and
amended the regulations for fruit movement from quarantined areas. The
language in the August 2006 interim rule could be interpreted as
allowing the interstate movement of citrus nursery stock if certain
inspection and decontamination procedures were met. This was not the
intent of the rule. This action removes any ambiguity in the citrus
canker regulations and protects against the spread of the disease to
other citrus-producing states.

Citrus canker is a disease that causes lesions on the leaves, stems and
fruit of citrus trees. While not harmful to humans, the disease affects
the health and marketability of infected fruit. It is spread by wind and
rain. Despite a 10-year effort to eradicate the disease from Florida, an
unprecedented series of storms in 2004 and 2005 spread the disease to
the point where eradication is no longer possible.

The interim rule was effective March 16 and is published in the March 22
*Federal Register*.

Consideration will be given to comments received on or before May 21.
Send an original and three copies of postal mail or commercial delivery
comments to Docket No. APHIS-2007-0032, Regulatory Analysis and
Development, PPD, APHIS, Station 3A-03.8, 4700 River Road,

\- more -

\- 2 -

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.regulaitons.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-2007-0032 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. Please call (202) 690-2817 to
facilitate entry into the comment reading room.

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