[Federal Register Volume 76, Number 61 (Wednesday, March 30, 2011)]
[Notices]
[Page 17617]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2011-7097]


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 Notices
                                                 Federal Register
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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. 76, No. 61 / Wednesday, March 30, 2011 / 
Notices  

[[Page 17617]]



DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service

[Docket No. APHIS-2008-0140]


Changes to Treatments for Citrus Fruit From Australia

AGENCY: Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, USDA.

ACTION: Notice of changes to phytosanitary treatments.

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SUMMARY: We are advising the public that we are adding new approved 
phytosanitary treatment schedules to the Plant Protection and 
Quarantine Treatment Manual for certain species of citrus fruit 
imported from Australia into the United States. These new treatments 
will continue to prevent the introduction or interstate movement of 
quarantine pests in the United States.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Dr. Inder P.S. Gadh, Senior Risk 
Manager--Treatments, PPQ, APHIS, 4700 River Road Unit 133, Riverdale, 
MD 20737-1231; (301) 7340627.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Background

    The phytosanitary treatments regulations contained in 7 CFR part 
305 (referred to below as the regulations) set out general requirements 
for conducting treatments indicated in the Plant Protection and 
Quarantine (PPQ) Treatment Manual \1\ for fruits, vegetables, and 
articles to prevent the introduction or dissemination of plant pests or 
noxious weeds into or through the United States.
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    \1\ The PPQ Treatment Manual can be viewed on the Internet at 
http://www.aphis.usda.gov/import_export/plants/manuals/ports/treatment.shtml.
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    On October 19, 2009, we published in the Federal Register (74 FR 
53424-53430, Docket No. APHIS-2008-0140) a proposal \2\ to amend the 
regulations by adding new treatment schedules for sweet cherries and 
certain species of citrus fruit imported from Australia into the United 
States. We also proposed to establish an approved irradiation dose for 
Mediterranean fruit fly (Medfly) of 100 gray. Our analysis affirming 
the efficacy of all the proposed treatments was presented in a 
treatment evaluation document that was made available with the proposed 
rule.
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    \2\ To view the proposed rule, the notice, the comments we 
received, and the treatment evaluation document, go to http://www.regulations.gov/fdmspublic/component/main?main=DocketDetail&d=APHIS-2008-0140.
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    We solicited comments concerning our proposal for 60 days ending 
December 18, 2009, and received five comments by that date. They were 
from a State plant protection official, a research entomologist, a 
foreign national plant protection organization representative, and two 
students. One commenter simply pointed out a misspelling. The remaining 
commenters either raised issues about sweet cherries and Medfly 
specifically or commented generally on the treatments for both sweet 
cherries and citrus fruit.
    We considered those comments and, in a notice dated August 4, 2010 
(75 FR 46901-46902, Docket No. APHIS 2008-0140), informed the public of 
our conclusion that none raised any issues sufficient to warrant 
changes to the proposed treatments for sweet cherries and Medfly. 
Accordingly, we announced that we were amending the PPQ Treatment 
Manual to include the new treatment schedules for sweet cherries and 
the revised irradiation dose for Medfly. Also, as none of the comments 
raised issues sufficient to warrant changes to the proposed treatments 
for certain species of citrus fruit, we noted that we would update 
treatment schedules for citrus fruit at a later date and would announce 
those changes through a notice.
    Accordingly, in this current notice, we are announcing that we are 
amending the PPQ Treatment Manual to include the new treatment 
schedules for certain species of citrus fruit from Australia.

    Authority:  7 U.S.C. 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 21st day of March 2011.
Kevin Shea,
Acting Administrator, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service.
[FR Doc. 2011-7097 Filed 3-29-11; 8:45 am]
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