G/SPS/N/USA/2360/Add.1  
 
 14 February 2013  
(13-0834)  Page: 1/2  
Committee on Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures  Original: English  
 
 NOTIFICATION 
Addendum 
The following communication, received on 13 February 2013, is being circulated at the 
request of the Delegation of the United States of America. 
 
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 Final Rule: Importation of Fresh Bananas From the Philippines into the Continental United States 
 The Animal and Plant Health Inspection Se rvice (APHIS) is amending the regulations 
concerning the importation of fruits and vegetables to allow the importation of fresh bananas from 
the Philippines into the continental United States. As a condition of entry, the bananas will have to be produced in accordance with a systems approach that will include requirements for importation 
of commercial consignments, monitoring of fruit flies to establish low-prevalence places of 
production, harvesting only of hard green bananas, and inspection for quarantine pests by the national plant protection organization of the Philippines. The bananas will also have to be 
accompanied by a phytosanitary certificate with an additional declaration stating that they were 
grown, packed, and inspected and found to be free of quarantine pests in accordance with the proposed requirements. This action will allow the importation of bananas from the Philippines while continuing to protect against the introduction of plant pests into the United States. 
 This notice is available in English at: 
 http://www.regulations.gov/#!docu mentDetail;D=APH IS-2011-0028-0013 . 
 
 Federal Register Volume 78, Number 26 (Thursday, 7 February 2013), Pages 8957-8960  On 16 April 2012, we published in the Federal Register (77 FR 22510-22514, Docket 
No. APHIS-2011-0028) a proposal to amend the regulations to allow the importation of bananas 
from the Philippines into the continental United States. We proposed to allow the importation of bananas from the Philippines into the continental United States only if they were produced in accordance with a systems approach. The proposed  systems approach included requirements for: 
Registration, monitoring, and oversight of places  of production; Trapping for the fruit flies 
Bactrocera musae , B. occipitalis , and B. philippinensis  to establish low-prevalence places of 
production; Covering bananas with pesticide bags during the growing season; Harvesting only of 
hard green bananas; Requirements for culling,  safeguarding, and identifying the fruit; and 
Inspection by the NPPO of the Philippines for quarantine pests.  We also proposed to require bananas from the Philippines to be accompanied by a phytosanitary certificate with an additional 
declaration stating that the bananas were grown, packed, and inspected in accordance with the 
proposed requirements. G/SPS/N/USA/2360/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 7 February 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: 
For further information contact: Ms Meredith Jone s, Regulatory Coordination Specialist, PPQ, RPM, 
RCC, APHIS, 4700 River Road Unit 39, Riverdale, MD 20737-1231; +(1 301) 851 2289.  
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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