. /.   WORLD TRADE  
ORGANIZATION  G/SPS/N/USA/2031/Add.1 
8 November 2010  
 (10-5941) 
Committee on Sanitary a nd Phytosanitary Measures Original:   English 
  
NOTIFICATION 
 
Addendum
 
  
The following communication, received on 4 November 2010, is being circulated at the 
request of the Delegation of the United States
. 
 
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Final Rule:  Importation of Mexican Hass Avoc ados; Additional Shipping Options (Docket No. 
APHIS-2008-0016)  
 The Animal and Plant Health Inspection Se rvice (APHIS) of the US Department of 
Agriculture is amending the regulations for th e importation of Hass avocados originating in 
Michoacán, Mexico, into the United States by adding the option to ship avocados to the United States 
in bulk shipping bins when safeguarding is mainta ined from the packinghouse to the port of first 
arrival in the United States and by making it clear that the avocados may be shipped by land, sea, or 
air.  We are also amending the regulations to  allow avocados from multiple packinghouses that 
participate in the avocado export programme to be combined into one consignment.  We are taking 
these actions in response to requests from the Go vernment of Mexico and inquiries from a US 
maritime port.  These actions will allow additional options for shipping Hass avocados from Mexico 
to the United States and allow Mexican exporters to ship full container or truck loads from multiple 
packinghouses while continuing to provide an approp riate level of protection against the introduction 
of plant pests.  This final rule will be effective on 29 November 2010. 
 This final rule is available in English a t: Federal Register:  29 October 2010 (Volume 75, 
Number 209) Notices Pages 66643-6 6644. To view online, go to 
http://www.gpoaccess.gov/fr/advanced.html , select 2010 FR Vol. 75, and type "page 66643" in the 
search box (with quotation marks). 
 This action is subsequent to a proposed rule published in the Federal Register on 
27 May 2010 (2010 FR Volume 75, Number 102, Pages 29680-29684, Docket No. APHIS-2008-0016), in which APHIS announced a proposal to amend the regulations by adding the option to ship avocados to the United States in bulk shipping bins when safeguarding is maintained from the 
packinghouse to the port of first arrival in the Un ited States and by making it clear that the avocados 
may be shipped by land, sea, or air.  We also proposed to allow avocados from multiple 
packinghouses that participate in the avocado export program to be combined into one consignment.  
(To view this notice online, go to http://www.gpoaccess.gov/fr/advanced.html
, select 2010 FR 
Vol. 75, and type "page 29680" in th e search box (with quotation marks)).  
 We solicited comments concerning our proposal for 60 days ending 26 July 2010.  We 
received three comments by that date, from the opera tors of a US maritime port, an association of 
Mexican Hass avocado producers, packers, and e xporters, and a State department of agriculture.  G/SPS/N/USA/2031/Add.1 
Page 2  
 
  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 th e previously notified measure in terms 
of products and/or potentially affected Members, a new deadline for receipt of comments should be 
provided, normally of at least 60 calendar days.  Under other circumstances, such as extension of 
originally announced final date for comments, th e 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) :  Not applicable 
Agency or authority designated to handle commen ts:  [ ] National Notification Authority, [ ] 
National Enquiry Point.  Address, fax number and e-mail address (if available) of other body: 
For further information contact:   
Mr. David B. Lamb, Import Specialist, Regulator y Coordination and Compliance, PPQ, APHIS, 4700 
River Road Unit 133, Riverdale, MD 20737-1236; +1 (301) 734-0627.  
Text available from:  [X] National Notification Au thority, [ ] National Enquiry Point.  Address, 
fax number and e-mail address (if available) of other body: 
United States SPS National Notification Authority, US DA Foreign Agricultural Service, International 
Regulations and Standards Division (IRSD), Stop 10 27, 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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