15280 Federal Register / Vol. 76, No. 54 / Monday, March 21, 2011 / Notices 

Done in Washington, DC, this 16th day of 

March 2011. 

Kevin Shea, 

Acting Administrator, Animal and Plant 

Health Inspection Service. 

[FR Doc. 2011–6536 Filed 3–18–11; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3410–34–P 

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 

Animal and Plant Health Inspection 

Service 

[Docket No. APHIS–2011–0018] 

Notice of Availability of a Pest Risk 

Analysis for the Importation of Fresh 

Persimmon From the Republic of 

South Africa 

AGENCY: Animal and Plant Health 

Inspection Service, USDA. 

ACTION: Notice. 

SUMMARY: We are advising the public 

that we have prepared a pest risk 

analysis that evaluates the risks 

associated with the importation into the 

continental United States of fresh 

persimmon fruit (Diospyros kaki) from 

the Republic of South Africa. Based on 

this analysis, 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 persimmon fruit from the Republic 

of South Africa. We are making the pest 

risk analysis available to the public for 

review and comment. 

DATES: We will consider all comments 

that we receive on or before May 20, 

2011. 

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments 

by either of the following methods: 

• Federal eRulemaking Portal: Go to 

http://www.regulations.gov/fdmspublic/

component/main?main=DocketDetail&

d=APHIS-2011-0018 to submit or view 

comments and to view supporting and 

related materials available 

electronically. 

• Postal Mail/Commercial Delivery: 

Please send one copy of your comment 

to Docket No. APHIS–2011–0018, 

Regulatory Analysis and Development, 

PPD, APHIS, Station 3A–03.8, 4700 

River Road Unit 118, Riverdale, MD 

20737–1238. Please state that your 

comment refers to Docket No. APHIS– 

2011–0018. 

Reading Room: You may read any 

comments that we receive on this 

docket in our reading room. The reading 

room is located in room 1141 of the 

USDA South Building, 14th Street and 

Independence Avenue, SW., 

Washington, DC. Normal reading room 

hours are 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday 

through Friday, except holidays. To be 

sure someone is there to help you, 

please call (202) 690–2817 before 

coming. 

Other Information: Additional 

information about APHIS and its 

programs is available on the Internet at 

http://www.aphis.usda.gov. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. 

Phillip B. Grove, Regulatory 

Coordinator, Regulatory Coordination 

and Compliance, PPQ, APHIS, 4700 

River Road Unit 156, Riverdale, MD 

20737–1236; (301) 734–6280. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Background 

Under the regulations in ‘‘Subpart— 

Fruits and Vegetables’’ (7 CFR 319.56–1 

through 319.56–50, referred to below as 

the regulations), the Animal and Plant 

Health Inspection Service (APHIS) of 

the U.S. Department of Agriculture 

prohibits or restricts the importation of 

fruits and vegetables into the United 

States from certain parts of the world to 

prevent plant pests from being 

introduced into and spread within the 

United States. 

Section 319.56–4 contains a 

performance-based process for 

approving the importation of 

commodities that, based on the findings 

of a pest-risk analysis, can be safely 

imported subject to one or more of the 

designated phytosanitary measures 

listed in paragraph (b) of that section. 

These measures are: 

• The fruits or vegetables are subject 

to inspection upon arrival in the United 

States and comply with all applicable 

provisions of § 319.56–3; 

• The fruits or vegetables are 

imported from a pest-free area in the 

country of origin that meets the 

requirements of § 319.56–5 for freedom 

from that pest and are accompanied by 

a phytosanitary certificate stating that 

the fruits or vegetables originated in a 

pest-free area in the country of origin; 

• The fruits or vegetables are treated 

in accordance with 7 CFR part 305; 

• The fruits or vegetables are 

inspected in the country of origin by an 

inspector or an official of the national 

plant protection organization of the 

exporting country, and have been found 

free of one or more specific quarantine 

pests identified by the risk assessment 

as likely to follow the import pathway; 

and/or 

• The fruits or vegetables are a 

commercial consignment. 

APHIS received a request from the 

Government of the Republic of South 

Africa to allow the importation of fresh 

persimmon fruit (Diospyros kaki) from 

the Republic of South Africa into the 

continental United States. We have 

completed a pest risk assessment for 

this commodity to identify pests of 

quarantine significance that could 

follow the pathway of importation into 

the United States and, based on this list, 

have prepared a risk management 

document to identify phytosanitary 

measures that could be applied to fresh 

persimmon fruit from the Republic of 

South Africa to mitigate the pest risk. 

We have concluded that fresh 

persimmon fruit can be safely imported 

into the continental United States from 

the Republic of South Africa using one 

or more of the five designated 

phytosanitary measures listed in 

§ 319.56–4(b). Therefore, in accordance 

with § 319.56–4(c), we are announcing 

the availability of our pest risk analysis 

for public review and comment. The 

pest risk analysis may be viewed on the 

Regulations.gov Web site or in our 

reading room (see ADDRESSES above for 

a link to Regulations.gov and 

information on the location and hours of 

the reading room). You may request 

paper copies of the pest risk analysis by 

calling or writing to the person listed 

under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION

CONTACT. Please refer to the subject of 

the pest risk analysis you wish to review 

when requesting copies. 

After reviewing any comments we 

receive, we will announce our decision 

regarding the import status of fresh 

persimmon fruit from the Republic of 

South Africa in a subsequent notice. If 

the overall conclusions of the analysis 

and the Administrator’s determination 

of risk remain unchanged following our 

consideration of the comments, then we 

will begin issuing permits for the 

importation of fresh persimmon fruit 

from the Republic of South Africa into 

the continental United States subject to 

the requirements specified in the risk 

management document. 

Authority: 7 U.S.C. 450, 7701–7772, and 

7781–7786; 21 U.S.C. 136 and 136a; 7 CFR 

2.22, 2.80, and 371.3. 

Done in Washington, DC this 15th day of 

March 2011. 

Kevin Shea, 

Acting Administrator, Animal and Plant 

Health Inspection Service. 

[FR Doc. 2011–6479 Filed 3–18–11; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3410–34–P 

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