Federal Register / Vol. 78, No. 6 / Wednesday, January 9, 2013 / Notices 1825 

Done in Washington, DC, this 2nd day of 

January, 2013. 

Kevin Shea, 

Acting Administrator, Animal and Plant 

Health Inspection Service. 

[FR Doc. 2013–00192 Filed 1–8–13; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3410–34–P 

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 

Animal and Plant Health Inspection 

Service 

[Docket No. APHIS–2012–0088] 

Notice of Establishment of an Animal 

and Plant Health Inspection Service 

Stakeholder Registry 

AGENCY: Animal and Plant Health 

Inspection Service, USDA. 

ACTION: Notice. 

SUMMARY: This notice announces the 

availability of a new Animal and Plant 

Health Inspection Service stakeholder 

registry. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ms. 

Hallie Zimmers, Advisor for State and 

Stakeholder Relations, Legislative and 

Public Affairs, APHIS, room 1147, 1400 

Independence Avenue SW., 

Washington, DC 20250; (202) 799–7029. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The 

Animal and Plant Health Inspection 

Service (APHIS) has established an 

electronic stakeholder registry for 

individuals and organizations interested 

in receiving updates regarding APHIS 

announcements, activities, policies, 

regulations and services. Subscribers 

can choose from an array of topics 

covering all of APHIS’ program areas 

and once registered will receive 

information via email or text tailored to 

their specific interests. In addition to 

choosing topics of interest, subscribers 

may select how often they want to 

receive messages. 

APHIS’ Plant Protection and 

Quarantine and Veterinary Services 

programs are already using this 

subscription service to share 

information with stakeholders. By 

expanding the registry to include 

APHIS’ Animal Care, Biotechnology 

Regulatory Services, International 

Services, and Wildlife Services 

programs, we are adopting an agencywide approach toward increasing 

transparency and communication with 

our many and diverse stakeholders. 

To join the registry and receive 

messages, stakeholders must subscribe 

and provide an email address or 

telephone number. Stakeholders can 

update their profiles at any time using 

this same information. 

Persons interested in becoming 

subscribers or updating their 

subscriptions may access the expanded 

registry at: https:// 

public.govdelivery.com/accounts/ 

USDAAPHIS/subscriber/ 

topics?qsp=USDAAPHIS_1. Subscribers 

can also register or update their profiles 

by clicking on the red envelope on the 

APHIS home page at 

www.aphis.usda.gov. Questions 

concerning the APHIS stakeholder 

registry may be directed to the person 

listed under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION

CONTACT. 

Done in Washington, DC, this 2nd day of 

January, 2013. 

Kevin Shea, 

Acting Administrator, Animal and Plant 

Health Inspection Service. 

[FR Doc. 2013–00193 Filed 1–8–13; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3410–34–P 

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 

Animal and Plant Health Inspection 

Service 

[Docket No. APHIS–2012–0004] 

Importation of Fresh Barhi Dates From 

Israel Into the United States 

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 of fresh 

dates of the cultivar Barhi from Israel 

into the United States. Based on that 

analysis, we have concluded that the 

application of one or more designated 

phytosanitary measures will be 

sufficient to mitigate the pest risk. In 

addition, we are advising the public that 

we have prepared a treatment 

evaluation document that describes a 

new treatment schedule for Ceratitis 

capitata in Barhi dates. We are making 

the pest risk assessment and treatment 

evaluation document available to the 

public for review and comment. 

DATES: We will consider all comments 

that we receive on or before March 11, 

2013. 

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments 

by either of the following methods: 

• Federal eRulemaking Portal: Go to 

http://www.regulations.gov/ 

#!documentDetail;D=APHIS 2012-0004- 

0001. 

• Postal Mail/Commercial Delivery: 

Send your comment to Docket No. 

APHIS–2012–0004, Regulatory Analysis 

and Development, PPD, APHIS, Station 

3A–03.8, 4700 River Road, Unit 118, 

Riverdale, MD 20737–1238. 

Supporting documents and any 

comments we receive on this docket 

may be viewed at http:// 

www.regulations.gov/ 

#!docketDetail;D=APHIS 2012-0004 or 

in our reading room, which 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) 799–7039 

before coming. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. 

Marc Phillips, Import Specialist, 

Regulatory Coordination and 

Compliance, PPQ, APHIS, 4700 River 

Road Unit 156, Riverdale, MD 20737; 

(301) 851–2114. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Background 

Under the regulations in ‘‘Subpart— 

Fruits and Vegetables’’ (7 CFR 319.56– 

1 through 319.56–57), the Animal and 

Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) 

prohibits or restricts the importation of 

fruits and vegetables into the United 

States from certain parts of the world to 

prevent the introduction and 

dissemination of plant pests that are 

new to or not widely distributed 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. 

APHIS received a request from the 

Government of Israel to allow the 

importation of fresh dates (Phoenix 

dactylifera L.) of the cultivar Barhi to be 

imported into the United States. 

Currently, fresh Barhi dates are not 

authorized for entry from Israel. We 

completed a pest risk assessment (PRA) 

to identify pests of quarantine 

significance that could follow the 

pathway of importation if such imports 

were to be allowed. Based on the PRA, 

we then completed a risk management 

document (RMD) to identify 

phytosanitary measures that could be 

applied to mitigate the risks of 

introducing or disseminating the 

identified pests via the importation of 

Barhi dates from Israel. We have 

concluded that fresh Barhi dates can 

safely be imported into the United 

States from Israel using one or more of 

the five designated phytosanitary 

measures listed in § 319.56–4(b). These 

measures are that: 


srobinson on DSK4SPTVN1PROD with 
1826 Federal Register / Vol. 78, No. 6 / Wednesday, January 9, 2013 / Notices 

1The Treatment Manual is available on the 

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

import_export/plants/manuals/index.shtml or by 

contacting the Animal and Plant Health Inspection 

Service, Plant Protection and Quarantine, Manuals 

Unit, 92 Thomas Johnson Drive, Suite 200, 

Frederick, MD 21702. 

• The dates may be imported into the 

United States in commercial 

consignments only; 

• The dates must be treated in 

accordance with 7 CFR part 305 for 

Ceratitis capitata; and 

• The dates must be accompanied by 

a phytosanitary certificate issued by the 

national plant protection organization of 

Israel stating that the consignment has 

begun or has undergone treatment 

T107–i, with the additional declaration 

stating that the fruit in the consignment 

was inspected and found free of 

Mauginiella scaettae. 

Therefore, in accordance with 

§ 319.56–4(c), we are announcing the 

availability of our PRA for public review 

and comment. The PRA may be viewed 

on the Regulations.gov Web site or in 

our reading room (see ADDRESSES above 

for instructions for accessing 

Regulations.gov and information on the 

location and hours of the reading room). 

You may also request paper copies of 

the PRA by calling or writing to the 

person listed under FOR FURTHER

INFORMATION CONTACT. Please refer to the 

subject of the analysis that you wish to 

review when requesting copies. 

After reviewing any comments we 

receive, we will announce our decision 

regarding the import status of fresh 

Barhi variety dates from Israel 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 authorize the importation of fresh 

Barhi variety dates from Israel into the 

United States subject to the 

requirements specified in the RMD. 

New Treatment 

The phytosanitary treatments 

regulations contained in part 305 of 7 

CFR chapter III 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.1

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. 

The PPQ Treatment Manual does not 

currently provide a treatment schedule 

for C. capitata in Barhi variety dates. In 

accordance with § 305.3(a)(1), we are 

providing notice of a new cold 

treatment schedule T107–i that we have 

determined is effective against C. 

capitata in Barhi variety dates. The 

reasons for this determination are 

described in a treatment evaluation 

document (TED) we have prepared to 

support this action. The TED may be 

viewed on the Regulations.gov Web site 

or in our reading room. You may also 

request paper copies of the TED by 

calling or writing to the person listed 

under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION

CONTACT. 

After reviewing the comments we 

receive, we will announce our decision 

regarding the changes to the Treatment 

Manual that are described in the TED in 

a subsequent notice. If our 

determination that it is necessary to add 

new treatment schedule T107–i remains 

unchanged following our consideration 

of the comments, then we will make 

available a new version of the PPQ 

Treatment Manual that reflects the 

addition of T107–i. 

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 2nd day of 

January, 2013. 

Kevin Shea, 

Acting Administrator, Animal and Plant 

Health Inspection Service. 

[FR Doc. 2013–00194 Filed 1–8–13; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3410–34–P 

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 

Animal and Plant Health Inspection 

Service 

[Docket No. APHIS–2012–0082] 

International Sanitary and 

Phytosanitary Standard-Setting 

Activities 

AGENCY: Animal and Plant Health 

Inspection Service, USDA. 

ACTION: Notice and request for 

comments. 

SUMMARY: In accordance with legislation 

implementing the results of the Uruguay 

Round of negotiations under the General 

Agreement on Tariffs and Trade, we are 

informing the public of the international 

standard-setting activities of the World 

Organization for Animal Health, the 

Secretariat of the International Plant 

Protection Convention, and the North 

American Plant Protection Organization, 

and we are soliciting public comment 

on the standards to be considered. 

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments 

by either of the following methods: 

• Federal eRulemaking Portal: Go to 

http://www.regulations.gov/ 

#!documentDetail;D=APHIS-2012-0082- 

0001. 

• Postal Mail/Commercial Delivery: 

Send your comment to Docket No. 

APHIS–2012–0082, Regulatory Analysis 

and Development, PPD, APHIS, Station 

3A–03.8, 4700 River Road, Unit 118, 

Riverdale, MD 20737–1238. 

Supporting documents and any 

comments we receive on this docket 

may be viewed at http:// 

www.regulations.gov/ 

#!docketDetail;D=APHIS-2012-0082 or 

in our reading room, which 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) 799–7039 

before coming. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For 

general information on the topics 

covered in this notice, contact Mrs. 

Jessica Mahalingappa, Acting Associate 

Deputy Administrator for SPS 

Management, International Services, 

APHIS, room 1132, USDA South 

Building, 14th Street and Independence 

Avenue SW., Washington, DC 20250; 

(202) 799–7121. 

For specific information regarding 

standard-setting activities of the World 

Organization for Animal Health, contact 

Dr. Michael David, Director, 

International Animal Health Standards 

Team, National Center for Import and 

Export, VS, APHIS, 4700 River Road, 

Unit 33, Riverdale, MD 20737–1231; 

(301) 851–3302. 

For specific information regarding the 

standard-setting activities of the 

International Plant Protection 

Convention or the North American Plant 

Protection Organization, contact Ms. 

Julie E. Aliaga, Program Director, 

International Phytosanitary Standards, 

PPQ, APHIS, 4700 River Road, Unit 140, 

Riverdale, MD 20737–1236; (301) 851– 

2032. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Background 

The World Trade Organization (WTO) 

was established as the common 

international institutional framework for 

governing trade relations among its 

members in matters related to the 

Uruguay Round Agreements. The WTO 

is the successor organization to the 

General Agreement on Tariffs and 


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