[Federal Register Volume 84, Number 184 (Monday, September 23, 2019)]
[Notices]
[Pages 49707-49708]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2019-20531]


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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service

[Docket No. APHIS-2019-0054]


Import Requirements for the Importation of Fresh Unshu Oranges 
From Japan Into the United States

AGENCY: Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, USDA.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: We are advising the public that we have prepared commodity 
import evaluation documents (CIEDs) relative to the importation into 
the United States of Unshu oranges from Japan. Currently, Unshu oranges 
imported into the United States from the islands of Shikoku or Honshu 
must be fumigated with methyl bromide as a mitigation for mites and 
mealybugs if the oranges are destined to a port of entry in Arizona, 
California, Florida, Hawaii, Louisiana, or Texas. Additionally, Unshu 
oranges from the island of Kyushu are prohibited entry into Arizona, 
California, Florida, Hawaii, or Texas. Based on the findings of the 
CIEDs, we are proposing to remove the fumigation requirement for Unshu 
oranges from the islands of Honshu and Shikoku and to allow Unshu 
oranges from the island of Kyushu to be imported into any port of entry 
in the United States (excluding territories). We are making the CIEDs 
available to the public for review and comment.

DATES: We will consider all comments that we receive on or before 
November 22, 2019.

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments by either of the following methods:
     Federal eRulemaking Portal: Go to http://www.regulations.gov/#!docketDetail;D=APHIS-2019-0054.
     Postal Mail/Commercial Delivery: Send your comment to 
Docket No. APHIS-2019-0054, Regulatory Analysis and Development, PPD, 
APHIS, Station 3A-03.8, 4700 River Road Unit 118, Riverdale, MD 20737-
1238.
    Supporting documents and any comments we receive on this docket may 
be viewed at http://www.regulations.gov/#!docketDetail;D=APHIS-2019-
0054 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.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. Tony Roman, Senior Regulatory 
Policy Specialist, RCC, IRM, PHP, PPQ, APHIS, 4700 River Road Unit 133, 
Riverdale, MD 20737-1236; (301) 851-2242.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Background

    Under the regulations in ``Subpart L-Fruits and Vegetables'' (7 CFR 
319.56-1 through 319.56-12, referred to below as the regulations), the 
Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) 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 or disseminated within the United States.
    Section 319.56-4 of the regulations provides the requirements for 
authorizing the importation of fruits and vegetables into the United 
States, as well as revising existing requirements for the importation 
of fruits and vegetables. Paragraph (c) of that section provides that 
the name and origin of all fruits and vegetables authorized importation 
into the United States, as well as the requirements for their 
importation, are listed on the internet in APHIS' Fruits and Vegetables 
Import Requirements database (FAVIR) (https://epermits.aphis.usda.gov/manual/). It also provides that, if the Administrator

[[Page 49708]]

of APHIS determines that any of the phytosanitary measures required for 
the importation of a particular fruit or vegetable are no longer 
necessary to reasonably mitigate the plant pest risk posed by the fruit 
or vegetable, APHIS will publish a notice in the Federal Register 
making its pest risk documentation and determination available for 
public comment.
    Currently, Unshu oranges from Japan are listed in FAVIR as a fruit 
authorized importation into the United States, if they are produced on 
the islands of Honshu, Shikoku, or Kyushu.
    As general requirements, regardless of the island of Japan where 
the Unshu oranges were produced:
     The oranges must be commercial consignments.
     Each consignment must be accompanied by a phytosanitary 
certificate with an additional declaration that the oranges were packed 
and produced in accordance with the regulations.
     Each consignment must be free of leaves, twigs, and other 
plant parts, except for stems that are less than 1 inch long and 
attached to the fruit.
     Shipments are prohibited entry into any U.S. territory.
     Each shipment is subject to inspection at the port of 
entry into the United States.
     Each shipment must be imported under an import permit 
issued by APHIS.
    Additionally, if the oranges are from the islands of Honshu or 
Shikoku and are destined to a port of entry in Arizona, California, 
Florida, Hawaii, Louisiana, or Texas, the oranges must be fumigated 
with methyl bromide as a mitigation for two species of mites 
(Eotetranychus asiaticus and Eotetranychus kankitus) and three species 
of mealybug (Planococcus lilacinus, Planococcus kraunhiae, and 
Pseudococcus cryptus). If the oranges are from the island of Kyushu, 
they are prohibited from being imported into Arizona, California, 
Florida, Hawaii, or Texas, as a mitigation for the fruit fly Bactrocera 
tsuneonis.
    The national plant protection organization (NPPO) of Japan asked 
that APHIS remove the methyl bromide fumigation requirement for Unshu 
oranges imported into the United States from the islands of Honshu or 
Shikoku, on the grounds that the pests the treatment targets are 
surface feeders and can easily be detected during phytosanitary 
inspection of the oranges. The NPPO also provided trapping data 
indicating that B. tsuneonis has not been detected on the island of 
Kyushu since 2016, and requesting that we allow Unshu oranges from that 
island into all ports of entry in the United States (excluding 
territories).
    In response to these requests, we have prepared two commodity 
import evaluation documents (CIEDs). One of the CIEDs recommends that 
Unshu oranges produced on the islands of Honshu or Shikoku do not need 
to be fumigated with methyl bromide; the other recommends allowing 
oranges from the island of Kyushu to be imported into all ports of 
entry in the United States (excluding territories).
    Therefore, in accordance with Sec.  319.56-4(c)(3), we are 
announcing the availability of our CIEDs for public review and comment. 
These documents, as well as a description of the economic 
considerations associated with removing the methyl bromide requirement 
for Unshu oranges from the islands of Honshu and Shikoku and with 
allowing Unshu oranges from the island of Kyushu to be imported into 
all ports of entry in the United States (excluding territories), may be 
viewed on the Regulations.gov website or in our reading room (see 
ADDRESSES above for a link to Regulations.gov and information on the 
location and hours of the reading room). You may request paper copies 
of these documents by calling or writing to the person listed under FOR 
FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT. Please refer to the subject of the 
analysis you wish to review when requesting copies.
    After reviewing any comments we receive, we will announce our 
decision regarding whether to revise the requirements for the 
importation of Unshu oranges from Japan in a subsequent notice. If the 
overall conclusions of our analysis and the Administrator's 
determination of risk remain unchanged following our consideration of 
the comments, then we will revise the requirements for the importation 
of Unshu oranges from Japan as described in this notice.

    Authority: 7 U.S.C. 1633, 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 17th day of September 2019.
Kevin Shea,
Administrator, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service.
[FR Doc. 2019-20531 Filed 9-20-19; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3410-34-P