G/SPS/N/USA/2507/Add.1  
 
3 May 2013  
(13-2379)  Page: 1/2  
Committee on Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures  Original: English  
 
NOTIFICATION 
Addendum 
The following communication, received on 3 May 2013, is being circulated at the request of 
the Delegation of the United States of America. 
 
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 Notice of Authorization for Importation of Fres h Barhi Dates from Israel (Docket No. APHIS-2012-
0004) 
 The Animal and Plant Health Inspection Servic e is advising the public of our decision to 
authorize the importation into the United States of  fresh dates of the cultivar Barhi from Israel. 
Based on the findings of a pest risk analysis, whic h we made available to the public for review and 
comment through a previous notice, we believe that the application of one or more designated 
phytosanitary measures will be sufficient to mitigate the risks of introducing or disseminating plant pests or noxious weeds via the importation of fresh dates of the cultivar Barhi from Israel. In 
addition, based on the findings of a treatment evaluation document, we are advising the public of 
our decision to add a treatment schedule for Ceratitis capitata  in Barhi dates to the Plant 
Protection and Quarantine Treatment Manual. 
 This notice is available in English at: 
 http://www.regulations.gov/#!docu mentDetail;D=APH IS-2012-0004-0006 . 
 Federal Register, Vol. 78, No. 85, Thursday, 2 May 2013, pages 25692-25693. 
 This action is subsequent to a notice published in the Federal Register on 9 January 2013 
(78 FR 1825-1826, Docket No. APHIS-2012-0004), in which we announced the availability, for 
review and comment, of a PRA that evaluates the risks associated with the importation into the United States of fresh dates ( Phoenix dactylifera  L.) of the cultivar Barhi (referred to below as 
Barhi dates) from Israel. The phytosanitary treatments regulations contained in part 305 of 
7 CFR chapter III (referred to below as the treatment regulations) set out standards for treatments required in parts 301, 318, and 319 of 7 CFR chapter III for fruits, vegetables, and other articles. In § 305.2, paragraph (b) states that approved treatment schedules are set out in the Plant 
Protection and Quarantine (PPQ) Treatment Manual. (2) Section 305.3 sets out a process for 
adding, revising, or removing treatment schedules in the PPQ Treatment Manual. In that section, paragraph (a) sets out the process for adding, revising, or removing treatment schedules when 
there is no immediate need to make a change. One of the measures that we proposed in the 
notice to mitigate the risk associated with the importation of Barhi dates from Israel was treating the dates with cold treatment for Ceratitis capitata . Because no such cold treatment schedule for 
Barhi dates previously existed in the PPQ Treatment Manual, in accordance with paragraph (a) of 
§ 305.3 of the treatment regulations, the notice also announced the availability of a treatment 
evaluation document (TED) that evaluated the efficacy of cold treatment for Barhi dates as a mitigation for C. capitata , and described a cold treatment schedule for C. capitata  in Barhi dates 
that we proposed to add to the PPQ Treatment Manual. We solicited comments on the notice for 
60 days ending on 11 March 2013. We received one comment by that date, from a private citizen. G/SPS/N/USA/2507/Add.1 
 
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  This addendum concerns a: 
[ ] Modification of final date for comments 
[X] Notification of adoption, publication or entry into force of regulation 
[ ] Modification of content and/or scope of  previously notified draft regulation 
[ ] Withdrawal of proposed regulation 
[ ] Change in proposed date of adoption, publication or date of entry into force 
[ ] Other:    
Comment period:  (If the addendum extends the scope of the previously notified 
measure in terms of products and/or potent ially affected Members, a new deadline for 
receipt of comments should be provided, norm ally of at least 60 calendar days.  Under 
other circumstances, such as extension of or iginally announced final date for comments, 
the comment period provided in the addendum may vary.)  
[ ] Sixty days from the date of circulation of the addendum to the notification and/or 
(dd/mm/yy) :  This rule is effective 2 May 2013. 
Agency or authority designated to handle comme nts:  [ ] National Notification Authority, 
[ ] National Enquiry Point.  Address, fax number and e-mail address (if available) of 
other body: 
Mr Marc Phillips, Senior Regulatory Policy Spec ialist, Regulatory Coordination and Compliance, 
PPQ, APHIS, 4700 River Road, Unit 156, Riverdale, MD 20737-1236; +(1 301) 851 2114.  
Text available from:  [X] National Notification Authority, [ ] National Enquiry Point.  
Address, fax number and e-mail addre ss (if available) of other body: 
United States SPS National Notification Authority, USDA Foreign Agricultural Service, International 
Regulations and Standards Division (IRSD), Stop 1014, Washington D.C. 20250; Tel: +(1 202) 720 1301; Fax: +(1 202) 720 0433; E-mail: us.spsenquirypoint@fas.usda.gov  
 
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