. /.   WORLD TRADE  
ORGANIZATION  G/SPS/N/USA/1894 
12 January 2009  
 (09-0078) 
Committee on Sanitary a nd Phytosanitary Measures Original:   English 
 
 
NOTIFICATION  
 
1. Notifying Member:  UNITED STATES  
If applicable, name of local government involved:    
2. Agency responsible:  Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) of the US 
Department of Agriculture 
3. Products covered (provide tariff item number(s) as specified in national schedules 
deposited with the WTO; ICS numbers should be provided in addition, where applicable):  Hass avocados 
4. Regions or countries likely to be affected, to the extent relevant or practicable: 
[   ] All trading partners, or 
[ X ] Specific regions or countries:  Peru 
5. Title of the notified document:  PROPOSED RULE :  Importation of Hass Avocados 
from Peru (Docket No. APHIS-2008-0126)  Language:  English  Number of pages:  14   
6. Description of content:  The Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service is proposing to 
amend the fruits and vegetables regulations to allow the importation of Hass avocados from 
Peru into the continental United States.  As a condition of entry, Hass avocados from Peru 
would have to be produced in accordance with a systems approach that would include requirements for importation in commercial c onsignments; registrati on and monitoring of 
places of production and packinghouses; grove sanitation; pest-free areas or trapping for 
fruit flies; surveys for the avocado seed moth ; and inspection for quarantine pests by the 
national plant protection organization of Peru .  Hass avocados from Peru would also be 
required to be accompanied by a phytosanitary certificate with an additional declaration stating that the avocados were grown, packed , and inspected and found to be free of pests 
in accordance with the proposed  requirements.  This action would allow for the importation 
of Hass avocados from Peru into the United States while continuing to provide protection 
against the introduction of quarantine pests. 
7. Objective and rationale:  [   ] food safety, [   ] animal health, [ X ] plant protection, [  
 ] protect humans from animal/plant pest or disease, [   ] protect territory from other damage from pests.    
8. Is there a relevant international stan dard?  If so, identify the standard:  
[   ] Codex Alimentarius Commission (e.g.  title or serial number of Codex standard 
or related text)    
[   ] World Organization for Animal Health (OIE) (e.g. Terrestrial or Aquatic 
Animal Health Code, chapter number)     G/SPS/N/USA/1894 
Page 2  
 
  [   ] International Plant Protection Convention (e.g.  ISPM N°)     
[ X ] None Does this proposed regulation conform to the relevant international standard?   
 [   ] Yes   [ X ] No 
 If no, describe, whenever possible, how and why it deviates from the 
international standard:    
9. Other relevant documents and language(s ) in which these are available:   
Federal Register: 7 January 2009 (Volume 74,  Number 4), Pages 651-664; available in 
English. 
To view online, go to http://www.gpoaccess.gov/fr/advanced.html , select 2009 FR Vol. 74, 
and type "651" in search bo x (with quotation marks). 
10. Proposed date of adoption (dd/mm/yy) :  Not available  
Propose date of publication ( dd/mm/yy) :  Not available 
11. Proposed date of entry into force:  [   ] Six months from date of publication , and/or  
(dd/mm/yy) :  Not available 
[   ] Trade facilitating measure  
12. Final date for comments: [   ] Sixty days from the date of circulation of the 
notification and/or ( dd/mm/yy ):  9 March 2009 
Comments in general will be accepted at any tim e after publication of the notice of filing; 
however, if a final rule is promulgated, it will address only those comments that were 
received on or before the final date for comments. 
Agency or authority designated to handle comments:  [   ] National Notification 
Authority, [   ] National Enquiry Point.  Address, fax number and E-mail address (if 
available) of other body:   You may submit comments by either of the following methods: 
• Federal eRulemaking Portal: Go to http://www.regulations.gov/  and search on the docket 
number (APHIS–2008-0126) to submit or vi ew comments and to view supporting and 
related materials available electronically. 
• Postal Mail/Commercial Delivery: Please se nd two copies of your comment to Docket 
No. APHIS–2008–0126, Regulatory Analysis a nd Development, PPD, APHIS, Station 3A–
03.8, 4700 River Road Unit 118, Riverdal e, MD 20737–1238. Please state that your 
comment refers to Docket No. APHIS–2008–0126. 
For further information contact:  Mr. Alex Belano, Assistant Branch Chief, Commodity Import Analysis and Operations, 
PPQ, APHIS, 4700 River Road Unit 140, Riverdale, MD 20737-1231; +(1 301) 734-8758 
13. Texts available from:  [ X ] National Notification Authority, [   ] National Enquiry 
Point.  Address, fax number and E-mail address (if available) of other body:    
United States SPS National Notification Authority, USDA Foreign Agricultural Service, 
International Regulations and Standards Division (IRSD), Stop 1027, Washington D.C. 
20250;  Tel:  +(1 202) 720 1301;  Fax:  +(1 202) 720 0433;  E-mail:  us.spsenquirypoint@fas.usda.gov