Source: https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2013/01/30/2013-02017/importation-of-avocados-from-continental-spain
Timestamp: 2017-06-25 21:05:36
Document Index: 359211133

Matched Legal Cases: ['§\u2009319', '§\u2009319', '§\u2009319', '§\u2009319', '§\u2009319', 'art 305', 'art 305', 'arts 301', 'art 305', '§\u2009319', '§\u2009319', '§\u2009319', '§\u2009319', '§\u2009319', '§\u2009319', 'art 305', 'art2', '§\u2009319', '§\u2009319', 'art 305', '§\u2009305']

:: Importation of Avocados From Continental Spain
https://www.federalregister.gov/d/2013-02017
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Based on the recommendations of the RMD, we are proposing to allow the importation of avocados from continental Spain into the United States only if they are produced in accordance with a systems approach. We would allow importation of untreated Hass avocados based on our finding [1] that Hass avocados on the tree are not a host to Medfly. We would allow importation of other varieties of avocado if they are treated for Medfly. The systems approach we are proposing would require:
Inspection by the NPPO of Spain for Medfly; andStart Printed Page 6223
We are proposing to add the systems approach to the regulations in a new § 319.56-58 governing the importation of avocados from continental Spain into the United States. The mitigation measures in the proposed systems approach are discussed in greater detail below.
Paragraph (a) of § 319.56-58 would set out general requirements for the NPPO of Spain and for growers and packers producing avocados for export to the United States.
Paragraph (a)(1) would require the NPPO of Spain to provide a 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 proposed § 319.56-58. As described in a notice we published on May 10, 2006, in the Federal Register (71 FR 27221-27224, Docket No. APHIS-2005-0085), 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.
Paragraph (a)(1) would also state that the NPPO of Spain must establish a trust fund in accordance with § 319.56-6. Section 319.56-6 of the regulations sets forth provisions for establishing trust fund agreements to cover costs incurred by APHIS when APHIS personnel must be physically present in an exporting country or region to facilitate exports. The systems approach may require APHIS personnel to monitor treatments if they are conducted in Spain.
Paragraph (a)(4) would state that avocados from continental Spain may be imported in commercial consignments only. 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 and is often grown with little or no pest control. Commercial consignments, as defined in § 319.56-2, are consignments that an inspector identifies as having been imported for sale and distribution. Such identification is based on a variety of indicators, including, but not limited to: Quantity of produce, type of packaging, identification of grower or packinghouse on the packaging, and documents consigning the fruits or vegetables to a wholesaler or retailer.
Paragraph (a)(5) would require that avocados other than Hass variety from continental Spain must be treated for C. capitata in accordance with 7 CFR part 305. This treatment could occur prior to export to the United States, or upon arrival [2] prior to release. This requirement would mitigate the greater vulnerability of non-Hass avocados to attack by C. capitata. The regulations in part 305 set out standards and schedules for treatments [3] required in 7 CFR parts 301, 318, and 319 to prevent the introduction or dissemination of plant pests or noxious weeds into or through the United States through the importation or movement of fruits, vegetables, and other articles. Therefore, we are proposing to refer to 7 CFR part 305 for an approved treatment for C. capitata for avocados from continental Spain.
The systems approach we are proposing includes monitoring and oversight requirements in paragraph (b) of proposed § 319.56-58 to ensure that the required phytosanitary measures are properly implemented throughout the process of growing and packing of avocados for export to the United States.
Under paragraph (b)(3), if the NPPO of Spain finds that a place of production or a packinghouse is not complying with the proposed regulations, no fruit from the place of production or packinghouse would be eligible for export to the United States until APHIS and the NPPO of Spain conduct an investigation and appropriate remedial actions have been implemented.Start Printed Page 6224
Paragraph (b)(4) would require the NPPO of Spain to retain all forms and documents related to export program activities in groves and packinghouses for at least 1 year and, as requested, provide them to APHIS for review.
Under paragraph (c) of proposed § 319.56-58, avocado fruit that has fallen from the trees would have to be removed from each place of production at least once every 7 days, starting 2 months before harvest and continuing to the end of harvest. This procedure would reduce the amount of material in the groves that could serve as potential host material for C. capitata.
Paragraph (d) of proposed § 319.56-58 sets out requirements for harvesting. Harvested avocados would have to be placed in field cartons or containers that are marked with the official registration number of the place of production. The place of production where the avocados were grown would have to remain identifiable when the fruit leaves the grove, at the packinghouse, and throughout the export process. These requirements would ensure that APHIS and the NPPO of Spain could identify the place of production where the avocados were produced if inspectors find Medflies in the fruit either before export or at the port of entry.
We are proposing several requirements for fruit origin and packinghouse activities, which would be contained in paragraph (e) of proposed § 319.56-58.
To ensure that the mitigations required in the systems approach are effective at producing fruit free of quarantine pests, paragraph (f) of proposed § 319.56-58 would require inspectors from the NPPO of Spain to inspect a biometric sample from each place of production at a rate to be determined by APHIS. The inspectors would have to visually inspect the fruit and a portion of the fruit would be cut open to inspect for internal stages of C. capitata. If C. capitata is detected in this inspection, the place of production where the infested avocados were grown would immediately be suspended from the export program until an investigation has been conducted by APHIS and the NPPO of Spain and appropriate mitigations have been implemented.
To certify that the avocados from continental Spain have been grown and packed in accordance with the requirements of proposed § 319.56-58, proposed paragraph (g) would require each consignment of avocados imported from Spain into the United States to be accompanied by a phytosanitary certificate issued by the NPPO of Spain. The phytosanitary certificate accompanying Hass variety avocados would have to contain an additional declaration stating that the avocados are Hass variety and were grown in an approved place of production and the consignment has been inspected and found free of C. capitata. The phytosanitary certificate accompanying non-Hass avocados would have to contain an additional declaration stating that the avocados were grown in an approved place of production and the consignment has been inspected and found free of C. capitata and, if treated prior to export, that the consignment has been treated for C. capitata in accordance with 7 CFR part 305.
The NPPO of Spain has requested that APHIS authorize market access for Start Printed Page 6225commercial shipments of fresh avocados into the United States for domestic consumption. APHIS is proposing to grant this request if Spain produces the avocados in accordance with a systems approach intended to prevent the introduction of quarantine pests.
Estimate of burden: Public reporting burden for this collection of information Start Printed Page 6226is estimated to average 0.029503 hours per response.
Start Amendment Part2. Add § 319.56-58 to read as follows: End Amendment Part
§ 319.56-58 Avocados from continental Spain.
(6) Shipping documents accompanying consignments of avocados from continental Spain that are exported to the United States must include the official registration number of the place of production at which the avocados were grown and must identify the packing shed or sheds in which the fruit was processed and packed. This identification must be maintained until Start Printed Page 6227the fruit is released for entry into the United States.
“Host status of `Hass' avocados to Mediterranean fruit fly, Ceratitis capitata (Wiedemann) and the South American fruit fly, Anastrepha fraterculus (Wiedemann).” Commodity Import Evaluation Document. December 2010. United States Department of Agriculture, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, Plant Protection and Quarantine, Regulations, Permits and Manuals, Regulatory Coordination and Compliance, Riverdale, MD. 8pp. Available at http://www.regulations.gov/​#!documentDetail;​D=​APHIS-2010-0127-0002.
Cold treatment upon arrival is only available at certain ports in accordance with 7 CFR 305.6.
Within part 305, § 305.2 provides that approved treatment schedules are set out in the PPQ Treatment Manual, found online at http://www.aphis.usda.gov/​import_​export/​plants/​manuals/​ports/​downloads/​treatment.pdf. The manual specifies which treatment schedules are effective in neutralizing C. capitata on avocados.