Source: https://www.federalregister.gov/articles/2013/01/30/2013-02021/importation-of-fresh-apricots-from-continental-spain
Timestamp: 2015-08-03 23:24:27
Document Index: 440241500

Matched Legal Cases: ['§ 319', '§ 319', '§ 319', '§ 319', '§ 319', '§ 319', '§ 319', '§ 319', '§ 319', '§ 319', '§ 319', '§ 319', '§ 319', '§ 319', '§ 319', '§ 319', '§ 319', '§ 319', '§ 319', '§ 319', '§ 300', '§ 319', '§ 319', '§ 319', '§ 319', '§ 319', 'art 305', '§ 319', '§ 319', '§ 319', '§ 319', 'art 305']

Federal Register | Importation of Fresh Apricots From Continental Spain
-6232 (6 pages)
Shorter URL: https://federalregister.gov/a/2013-02021 Related Topics
Federal eRulemaking Portal: Go to http://www.regulations.gov/#!documentDetail;D=APHIS-2011-0132-0001.
Supporting documents and any comments we receive on this docket may be viewed at http://www.regulations.gov/#!docketDetail;D=APHIS-2011-0132 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.
A quarantine pest is defined in § 319.56-2 as a pest of potential economic importance to the area endangered thereby and not yet present there, or present but not widely distributed and being officially controlled. Plant pest risk potentials associated with the importation of fresh apricots from continental Spain into the United States were derived by estimating the consequences and likelihood of introduction of each quarantine pest into the United States and ranking the risk potential as High, Medium, or Low. The PRA determined that three of these four quarantine pests—brown rot, Medfly, and plum fruit moth—pose a high risk of following the pathway of fresh apricots from continental Spain into the United States and having negative effects on U.S. agriculture. Leaf scorch was rated as having a medium risk potential.
Based on the conclusions of the PRA and RMD, we are proposing to allow the importation of fresh apricots from continental Spain
into the United States subject to a systems approach. Under a systems approach, a set of phytosanitary conditions, at least two of which have an independent effect in mitigating the pest risk associated with the movement of commodities, is specified, whereby fruits and vegetables may be imported into the United States from countries that are not free of certain plant pests.
We are proposing to add the systems approach for apricots from continental Spain to the regulations in a new § 319.56-58. The specific mitigation measures required in the systems approach for each quarantine pest are discussed below, as well as in the risk management document.
General Requirements Back to Top
General requirements for importing apricots from continental Spain into the United States would be listed in proposed § 319.56-58(a). The NPPO of Spain would be required to provide a bilateral workplan to APHIS that details the activities of the systems approach, including inspections, monitoring, trapping, and surveying, that the NPPO of Spain will carry out to meet the proposed requirements. APHIS would have to approve the workplan and would be directly involved with the NPPO of Spain in monitoring and auditing the systems approach implementation. A bilateral workplan is an agreement between APHIS' Plant Protection and Quarantine program, officials of the NPPO of a foreign government, and, when necessary, foreign commercial entities, that specifies in detail the phytosanitary measures that will comply with our regulations governing the import or export of a specific commodity. Bilateral workplans apply only to the signatory parties and establish detailed procedures and guidance for the day-to-day operations of specific import/export programs. Bilateral workplans also establish how specific phytosanitary issues are dealt with in the exporting country and make clear who is responsible for dealing with those issues. The implementation of a systems approach typically requires a bilateral workplan to be developed. The NPPO of Spain would also be required to enter into a trust fund agreement with APHIS in accordance with § 319.56-6 to cover our monitoring and auditing costs.
All places of production and packinghouses in continental Spain that participate in the program to export apricots to the United States must be registered with and approved by the NPPO of Spain and meet the requirements of proposed § 319.56-58. The place of production where the apricots were grown would have to be identifiable when the fruit leaves the grove, at the packinghouse where the fruit is packed, and throughout the export process. Boxes containing apricot fruit would have to be marked with the identity and origin of the fruit. Safeguarding in accordance with the regulations in proposed § 319.56-58(h) would have to be maintained at all times during the movement of the apricot fruit to the United States and remain intact upon arrival in the United States.
The regulations in proposed § 319.56-58(b) would require that fresh apricots from continental Spain would be allowed to be imported into the United States in commercial consignments only. Commercial consignments, as defined in § 319.56-2, are consignments that an inspector identifies as having been imported for sale and distribution. Produce grown commercially is less likely to be infested with plant pests than noncommercial consignments. Noncommercial consignments are more prone to infestations because the commodity is often ripe to overripe, could be of a variety with unknown susceptibility to pests, and is often grown with little or no pest control.
Monitoring and Oversight Back to Top
Under proposed § 319.56-58(c), if APHIS approved the workplan, the NPPO of Spain would have to begin conducting inspections and monitoring places of production and packinghouse operations to verify that they comply with the requirements of proposed § 319.56-58. The NPPO of Spain would be required to visit and inspect the places of production monthly, starting 2 months (60 days) before harvest and continuing until the end of the shipping season, to verify that growers are complying with the requirements of proposed § 319.56-58 and following pest control guidelines, when necessary, to reduce quarantine pest populations. The NPPO would also have to monitor packinghouses to verify that the packinghouses are complying with proposed § 319.56-58. Under paragraph (c)(3) of proposed § 319.56-58, if the NPPO of Spain were to find that a place of production or a packinghouse did not comply with the regulations in proposed § 319.56-58, fruit from that place of production or packinghouse would not be eligible for export to the United States until APHIS and the NPPO of Spain conducted an investigation and implemented appropriate remedial actions.
Proposed § 319.56-58(c)(4) would also require that the NPPO of Spain retain all forms and documents related to export program activities in places of production and packinghouses for at least 1 year and, upon request, provide them to APHIS for review.
Grove Sanitation Back to Top
Proposed § 319.56-58(d) would require all fruit that has fallen from the trees of each place of production to be removed from the grove and destroyed weekly. This procedure would reduce the amount of material in the groves that could serve as potential host material for insect pests.
Mitigations for Specific Quarantine Pests Back to Top
During the growing season, the NPPO of Spain would be required in accordance with proposed § 319.56-58(e) to conduct inspections at intervals specified in the workplan in places of production for signs of the fungi A. erythrostoma and M. fructigena until harvest is completed. Infected leaves would have to be removed from places of production to reduce the inoculum potential. Upon detection of either A. erythrostoma or M. fructigena, the NPPO of Spain would be required to notify APHIS, which may prohibit the importation into the United States of apricots from the production site for the season.
Mitigations for C. funebrana Back to Top
Under proposed § 319.56-58(f), APHIS would require the NPPO of Spain to use one of the following two mitigation measures to address the risk potential posed by C. funebrana:
Pest-Free Area: Under this mitigation measure, apricots would have to originate from an area designated as free of C. funebrana in accordance with § 319.56-5 for the establishment of pest-free areas. Paragraph (a) of § 319.56-5 states that determinations of pest-free areas be made in accordance with International Standards for Phytosanitary Measures (ISPM) No. 4, which is incorporated by reference in § 300.5. ISPM No. 4 sets out three main criteria for recognition of a pest-free area:
Paragraph (b) of § 319.56-5 requires that APHIS approve the survey protocol used to determine and maintain pest-free status, as well as protocols for actions to be taken upon detection of a pest. It also indicates that pest-free areas are subject to audit by APHIS to verify their status.
Mitigations for Medfly Back to Top
Under proposed § 319.56-58(g), the places of production would be required to be trapped for Medfly to demonstrate that there is a low prevalence of Medfly in those places of production. Similar to C. funebrana, specific trapping requirements for Medfly would be included in the bilateral workplan and would be adjusted as necessary to ensure that trapping is effective. Consistent with the recommendations of the RMD, the bilateral workplan would initially require trapping with 1 APHIS-approved trap per 12 hectares, with a minimum of 1 trap per place of production, beginning May 1 of each year and remaining in place and in service until harvesting is completed. Any time that trap counts are greater than 0.5 flies per trap per day, remedial measures would need to be implemented and approved by APHIS and the NPPO of Spain. The NPPO of Spain would have to keep records of the placement of traps, trap visits, trap counts, and treatments for each registered place of production.
Post-Harvest Procedures and Packinghouse Requirements Back to Top
Specific post-harvest and packinghouse requirements, listed in paragraphs (h) and (i) of proposed § 319.56-58, are intended to prevent insect infestation of harvested fruit during processing, packing, and shipment. Apricots would have to be safeguarded by a pest-proof screen, plastic tarpaulin, or some other pest-proof barrier while in transit to the packinghouse and while awaiting packing. They would have to be packed and sealed within 24 hours of harvest into pest-proof cartons or containers or covered with pest-proof mesh or a plastic tarpaulin for transport to the United States. These safeguards would be required to remain intact until arrival of the consignment in the United States.
Phytosanitary Inspection Back to Top
Under proposed § 319.56-58(j), a biometric sample of apricots, jointly agreed upon by APHIS and the NPPO of Spain, would be required to be inspected in Spain by the NPPO following post-harvest processing. The sample would have to be visually inspected for the quarantine pests A. erythrostoma, C. funebrana, and M. fructigena, and a portion of the fruit would be cut open to inspect for the internal pest C. capitata. If any of these quarantine pests are found, the entire consignment of apricots would be prohibited from import into the United States. Fruit presented for inspection at a U.S. port of entry would have to be identified in the shipping documents accompanying each consignment of fruit that specify the place of production in which the fruit was produced and the packinghouse in which the fruit was processed. This identification would have to be maintained with the consignment until the fruit is released for entry into the United States.
Phytosanitary Certificate Back to Top
Under proposed § 319.56-58(k), each consignment of apricot fruit would have to be accompanied by a phytosanitary certificate issued by the NPPO of Spain that states that the fruit has been treated for C. capitata in accordance with 7 CFR part 305 and includes an additional declaration stating that the fruit in the consignment was inspected and found free from A. erythrostoma, C. capitata, C. funebrana, and M. fructigena.
Estimated total annual burden on respondents: 188 hours. (Due to averaging, the total annual burden hours may not equal the product of the annual number of responses multiplied by the reporting burden per response.) Copies of this information collection can be obtained from Mrs. Celeste Sickles, APHIS' Information Collection Coordinator, at (301) 851-2908.
2.Add § 319.56-58 to read as follows: § 319.56-58 Fresh apricots from continental Spain.
(a) General requirements. (1) The national plant protection organization (NPPO) of Spain must provide a bilateral workplan to APHIS that details the activities that the NPPO of Spain will, subject to APHIS' approval of the workplan, carry out to meet the requirements of this section. APHIS will be directly involved with the NPPO of Spain in monitoring and auditing implementation of the systems approach. The NPPO of Spain must also enter into a trust fund agreement with APHIS in accordance with § 319.56-6.
(1) Pest-free area: Under this mitigation measure, apricots must originate from an area designated as free of C. funebrana in accordance with § 319.56-5.
(j) Phytosanitary inspection. (1) A biometric sample of apricot fruit jointly agreed upon by APHIS and the NPPO of Spain must be inspected in Spain by the NPPO of Spain following post-harvest processing. The sample must be visually inspected for the quarantine pests A. erythrostoma,
C. funebrana, and M. fructigena. A portion of the fruit must be cut open and inspected for C. capitata. If any of these quarantine pests are found, the entire consignment of apricot fruit will be prohibited from importation into the United States.
(k) Phytosanitary certificate. Each consignment of apricot fruit must be accompanied by a phytosanitary certificate issued by the NPPO of Spain that states that the fruit has been treated for C. capitata in accordance with 7 CFR part 305 and includes an additional declaration that the fruit in the consignment was inspected and found free from A. erythrostoma,
C. capitata,
C. funebrana, and M. fructigena.