[Federal Register Volume 73, Number 55 (Thursday, March 20, 2008)]
[Notices]
[Page 14956]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E8-5651]


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 Notices
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 This section of the FEDERAL REGISTER contains documents other than rules 
 or proposed rules that are applicable to the public. Notices of hearings 
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 delegations of authority, filing of petitions and applications and agency 
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  Federal Register / Vol. 73, No. 55 / Thursday, March 20, 2008 / 
Notices  

[[Page 14956]]



DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service

[Docket No. APHIS-2007-0143]


Notice of Decision To Issue Permits for the Importation of 
Dropwort Leaves With Stems from South Korea 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 of dropwort leaves with stems from South 
Korea into the continental United States subject to the requirements 
specified in the risk management analysis. 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 dropwort leaves with stems from 
South Korea.

Effective Date: March 20, 2008.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. Alex Belano, Import Specialist, 
Commodity Import Analysis and Operations, Plant Health Programs, PPQ, 
APHIS, 4700 River Road Unit 133, Riverdale, MD 20737-1231; (301) 734-
8758.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Under the regulations in ``Subpart--Fruits 
and Vegetables'' (7 CFR 319.56 through 319.56-47, 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 of the regulations 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 November 21, 2007 (72 FR 65560-65561, Docket No. 
APHIS-2007-0143), 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 
dropwort leaves with stems from South Korea. We solicited comments on 
the notice for 60 days ending on January 22, 2008. We received one 
comment by that date, from a private citizen. The commenter stated that 
food should be grown locally and not imported, and that the risks--
which the commenter did not specify--associated with imports generally 
were too great. No changes to the pest risk analysis are necessary 
based on that comment.
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    \1\ To view the notice, the pest risk analysis, and the comment 
we received, go to http://www.regulations.gov/fdmspublic/component/main?main=DocketDetail&d=APHIS-2007-0143.
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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 dropwort 
leaves with stems from South Korea subject to the following conditions:
     The dropwort leaves with stems must be part of a 
commercial consignment as defined in Sec.  319.56-2.
     Each consignment of dropwort leaves with stems must be 
accompanied by a phytosanitary certificate issued by the Korean 
National Plant Protection Organization (NPPO) certifying that the 
dropwort is a product of the Republic of Korea. The NPPO must also 
include an additional declaration in the phytosanitary certificate that 
states: ``The water dropwort (Oenanthe javanica) in this shipment was 
inspected and considered free from Water Dropwort Witches' Broom and 
Puccinia oenanthes-stoloniferae.''
    These conditions will be listed in the fruits and vegetables manual 
(available at http://www.aphis.usda.gov/import_export/plants/manuals/ports/downloads/fv.pdf). In addition to these specific measures, the 
dropwort stems with leaves will be subject to the general requirements 
listed in Sec.  319.56-3 that are applicable to the importation of all 
fruits and vegetables.

    Done in Washington, DC, this 17th day of March 2008.
Kevin Shea,
Acting Administrator, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service.
 [FR Doc. E8-5651 Filed 3-19-08; 8:45 am]
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