[Federal Register Volume 75, Number 166 (Friday, August 27, 2010)]
[Notices]
[Pages 52712-52713]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2010-21568]


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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service

[Docket No. APHIS-2010-0065]


Notice of Decision To Issue Permits for the Importation of Fresh 
Mango Fruit From Pakistan Into the Continental United States

AGENCY: Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, USDA.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: We are advising the public of our decision to begin issuing 
permits for the importation into the continental United States of fresh 
mango fruit from Pakistan. Based on the findings of a pest risk 
analysis, which we made available to the public for review and comment 
through a previous notice, 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 mango fruit from Pakistan.

DATES: Effective Date: August 27, 2010.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ms. Donna L. West, Senior Import 
Specialist, Regulatory Coordination and Compliance, PPQ, APHIS, 4700 
River Road Unit 133, Riverdale, MD 20737; (301) 734-0627.

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. Under that process, APHIS publishes a notice in the Federal 
Register announcing the availability of the pest risk analysis that 
evaluates the risks associated with the importation of a particular 
fruit or vegetable. Following the close of the 60-day comment period, 
APHIS may begin issuing permits for importation of the fruit or 
vegetable subject to the identified designated measures if: (1) No 
comments were received on the pest risk analysis; (2) the comments on 
the pest risk analysis revealed that no changes to the pest risk 
analysis were necessary; or (3) changes to the pest risk analysis were 
made in response to public comments, but the changes did not affect the 
overall conclusions of the analysis and the Administrator's 
determination of risk.
    In accordance with that process, we published a notice \1\ in the 
Federal Register on June 17, 2010 (75 FR 34422, Docket No. APHIS-2010-
0065), in which we announced the availability, for review and comment, 
of a pest risk analysis that evaluates the risks associated with the 
importation into the continental United States of fresh mango fruit 
from Pakistan. We solicited comments on the notice for 60 days ending 
on August 16, 2010. We received 19 comments by that date, from 
nurseries, exporters, private citizens, a marketing agency, and a State 
department of agriculture. All of the commenters supported the 
importation of fresh mango fruit from Pakistan under the conditions 
described in the risk management document.
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    \1\ To view the notice, the pest risk analysis, the risk 
management analysis, and the comments we received, go to http://www.regulations.gov/fdmspublic/component/main?main=DocketDetail&d=APHIS-2010-0065.
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    Therefore, in accordance with the regulations in Sec.  319.56-
4(c)(2)(ii), we are announcing our decision to begin issuing permits 
for the importation into the continental United States of fresh mango 
fruit from Pakistan subject to the following phytosanitary measures:
    <bullet> The mangoes must be irradiated with a minimum absorbed 
dose of 400 gray.
    <bullet> If irradiation is applied outside of the United States, 
each consignment of mangoes must be inspected jointly by the national 
plant protection organization (NPPO) of Pakistan and APHIS inspectors 
and accompanied by a phytosanitary certificate issued by the NPPO of 
Pakistan. The phytosanitary certificate must document that the 
consignment received the required irradiation treatment. The 
phytosanitary certificate must also contain an additional declaration 
that states: ``This consignment was inspected jointly by APHIS and 
Government of Pakistan inspectors, and found free of Xanthomonas 
campestris pv. mangiferaeindicae.'' To be consistent with International 
Plant Protection Convention standards, treatment specifics, including 
the application of 400 Gy dose, will be located in the treatment 
section of the phytosanitary

[[Page 52713]]

certificate, rather than in the additional declaration.
    If irradiation is to be applied upon arrival in the United States, 
each consignment of mangoes must be inspected by inspectors from the 
NPPO of Pakistan prior to departure and accompanied by a phytosanitary 
certificate issued by the NPPO of Pakistan. The phytosanitary 
certificate must contain an additional declaration that states: ``This 
consignment was inspected by the Government of Pakistan inspectors and 
found free of Xanthomonas campestris pv. mangiferaeindicae.''
    <bullet> The mangoes may be imported into the United States in 
commercial consignments only.
    These conditions will be listed in the Fruits and Vegetables Import 
Requirements Database (available at http://www.aphis.usda.gov/favir). 
In addition to those specific measures, mangoes from Pakistan will be 
subject to the general requirements listed in Sec.  319.56-3 that are 
applicable to the importation of all fruits and vegetables.

    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 25th day of August 2010.
Gregory Parham,
Acting Administrator, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service.
[FR Doc. 2010-21568 Filed 8-26-10; 8:45 am]
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