Federal Register / Vol. 80, No. 89 / Friday, May 8, 2015 / Notices 26523 

1To view the notice, pest list, RMD, and 

comments we received, go to http://

www.regulations.gov/#!docketDetail;D=APHIS2014-0096. 

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 

Animal and Plant Health Inspection 

Service 

[Docket No. APHIS–2014–0096] 

Notice of Decision To Authorize the 

Interstate Movement of Sea Asparagus 

Tips From Hawaii Into the Continental 

United States 

AGENCY: Animal and Plant Health 

Inspection Service, USDA. 

ACTION: Notice. 

SUMMARY: We are advising the public of 

our decision to authorize the interstate 

movement of fresh sea asparagus tips 

from Hawaii into the continental United 

States. Based on the findings of a pest 

list and a risk management document, 

which we made available to the public 

for review and comment through a 

previous notice, we have concluded 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 movement of 

fresh sea asparagus tips from Hawaii 

into the continental United States. 

DATES: Effective May 8, 2015. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. 

David Lamb, Senior Regulatory Policy 

Specialist, PPQ, APHIS, 4700 River 

Road, Unit 133, Riverdale, MD 20737– 

1231; (301) 851–2103. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Under the 

regulations in ‘‘Subpart—Regulated 

Articles From Hawaii and the 

Territories’’ (7 CFR 318.13–1 through 

318.13–26, 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 interstate 

movement of fruits and vegetables from 

Hawaii, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin 

Islands, Guam, and the Commonwealth 

of the Northern Mariana Islands to the 

continental United States to prevent the 

spread of plant pests and noxious weeds 

that occur in Hawaii and the territories. 

Section 318.13–4 contains a 

performance-based process for 

approving the interstate movement of 

certain fruits and vegetables from 

Hawaii and the U.S. territories that, 

based on the findings of a pest risk 

analysis, can be safely moved subject to 

one or more of the six phytosanitary 

measures listed in § 318.13–4(b). 

APHIS received a request from the 

Hawaii Department of Agriculture to 

allow the interstate movement of fresh 

sea asparagus tips (Salicornia bigelovii 

Torr.) to the continental United States. 

Hawaii has indicated a specific interest 

in production and shipment of fresh sea 

asparagus tips, which are currently 

prohibited from interstate movement 

from Hawaii to the continental United 

States. 

In accordance with the process in 

§ 318.13–4, we published a notice 1 in 

the Federal Register on January 23, 

2015 (80 FR 3548–3549, Docket No. 

APHIS–2014–0096), in which we 

announced, for review and comment, 

the availability of a pest list that 

identifies pests of quarantine 

significance that could follow the 

pathway of interstate movement of sea 

asparagus tips into the continental 

United States. Based on that pest list, 

we prepared a risk management 

document (RMD) to identify 

phytosanitary measures that could be 

applied to the commodity to mitigate 

the pest risk. 

We solicited comments on the pest 

list and RMD for 60 days ending on 

March 24, 2015. We received two 

comments by that date, from an 

organization of State plant regulatory 

agencies and a private citizen. Neither 

commenter opposed the action; 

however, one commenter asked for the 

scientific name and a general 

description of sea asparagus. 

As stated in the RMD, sea asparagus 

(Salicornia bigelovii Torr.) is grown in 

salt water ponds on floating plant 

cultivation platforms where their roots 

are exposed to brackish waters. The 

asparagus tips do not touch water, soil, 

or sediments. Sea asparagus is 

sometimes referred to as ‘‘sea beans’’ or 

‘‘sapphire greens’’ on restaurant menus 

and ingredient lists. 

Therefore, in accordance with 

§ 318.13–4, we our announcing our 

decision to authorize the interstate 

movement of sea asparagus from Hawaii 

to the continental United States subject 

to the following phytosanitary 

measures: 

• Sea asparagus tips must be moved 

interstate as commercial consignments 

only, and 

• Each consignment is subject to predeparture inspection in Hawaii prior to 

interstate movement to the continental 

United States. 

These conditions will be listed in the 

Hawaii Fruits and Vegetables Manual 

(available at http://www.aphis.usda.gov/ 

import_export/plants/manuals/ports/

downloads/hawaii.pdf). 

Authority: 7 U.S.C. 7701–7772 and 7781– 

7786; 7 CFR 2.22, 2.80, and 371.3. 

Done in Washington, DC, this 4th day of 

May 2015. 

Kevin Shea, 

Administrator, Animal and Plant Health 

Inspection Service. 

[FR Doc. 2015–11124 Filed 5–7–15; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3410–34–P 

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 

Food Safety and Inspection Service 

[Docket No. FSIS–2015–0005] 

Ongoing Equivalence Verifications of 

Foreign Food Regulatory Systems 

AGENCY: Food Safety and Inspection 

Service, USDA. 

ACTION: Notice; response to comments. 

SUMMARY: The Food Safety and 

Inspection Service (FSIS) is responding 

to comments on the Federal Register 

notice, ‘‘Ongoing Equivalence 

Verifications of Foreign Food Regulatory 

Systems,’’ it published on January 25, 

2013. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Dr. 

Daniel Engeljohn, Assistant 

Administrator, Office of Policy and 

Program Development; Telephone: (202) 

205–0495. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Background 

Imported meat, poultry, and egg 

products must meet all applicable 

statutory provisions and regulations, 

including standards for safety, 

wholesomeness, and labeling applicable 

to similar products produced in the 

United States (see 21 U.S.C. 620, 466, 

and 1046; 9 CFR 327.2, 381.196, and 

590.910). Foreign meat, poultry, and egg 

products food regulatory systems may 

apply equivalent sanitary measures if 

those measures provide the same level 

of public health protection achieved by 

U.S. measures. 

Any country can apply for eligibility 

to export meat, poultry, or egg products 

to the United States. Based on FSIS’s 

review of the information and 

documentation that the country 

submits, FSIS decides whether the 

foreign country’s food regulatory system 

meets all U.S. requirements in the same 

or an equivalent manner. This is the 

document analysis. If so, FSIS performs 

an on-site audit of the entire foreign 

meat, poultry, or egg products 

regulatory system. When both the 

document analysis and on-site audit 

show that the country’s system is 

equivalent to that of the U.S., FSIS 

publishes a proposed rule in the Federal 

Register that announces the results of 

the first two steps and proposes to add 


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