[Federal Register Volume 84, Number 184 (Monday, September 23, 2019)]
[Notices]
[Pages 49709-49710]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2019-20532]


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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service

[Docket No. APHIS-2019-0057]


Import Requirements for the Importation of Fresh Sand Pears From 
Japan Into the United States

AGENCY: Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, USDA.

ACTION: Notice of availability.

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SUMMARY: We are advising the public that we have prepared a pest risk 
analysis relative to the importation into the United States of sand 
pears (Pyrus pyrifolia) fruit from Japan. Currently, sand pears may 
only be imported from certain authorized production areas within Japan. 
Based on the findings of the analysis, we are proposing to authorize 
the importation of sand pears from all of Japan, rather than specific 
areas of production, and to revise the conditions under which sand 
pears from Japan may be imported into the United States. We are making 
the pest risk analysis 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-2019-0057.
     Postal Mail/Commercial Delivery: Send your comment to 
Docket No.

[[Page 49710]]

APHIS-2019-0057, 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-
0057 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: 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 new 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 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 analysis and determination available for 
public comment.
    Sand pears fruit from Japan are currently listed in FAVIR as a 
fruit authorized importation into the United States, subject to the 
following phytosanitary measures for shipments to any U.S. State or 
territory other than Hawaii:
     The sand pears must be produced in one of the following 
prefectures: Tottori, Nagano, Fukushima, or Ibaraki.
     The sand pears must be accompanied by a phytosanitary 
certificate issued by the national plant protection organization (NPPO) 
of Japan with an additional declaration that the pears were inspected 
and found free of plant pests, including Carposina nipponensis, peach 
fruit moth, Adoxophyes orana, smaller tea tortrix, and Conogethes 
punctiferalis, yellow peach moth.
     The sand pears are subject to inspection at the port of 
entry into the United States.
     Only commercial consignments of sand pears may be imported 
into the United States.
     The sand pears must be imported under permit.
    Currently, sand pears may be imported into Hawaii under permit, and 
subject to inspection in Hawaii, without any further phytosanitary 
requirements. APHIS received a request from the NPPO of Japan to 
authorize the importation of sand pears from all prefectures of Japan 
(excluding Amami, Bonin, Ryukyu, Tokara, and Volcano Islands).
    In response to Japan's request, we have prepared a pest list 
regarding the pests of quarantine significance that could follow the 
pathway of importation of fresh sand pears from Japan into the United 
States. The pest list identifies the following quarantine pests as 
potentially following the pathway:
     Alternaria kikuchiana, black spot of Japanese pear.
     Carposina sasaki, peach fruit moth.
     Ceroplastes japonicus, tortoise wax scale.
     Ceroplastes rubens, red wax scale.
     Conogethes punctiferalis, yellow peach moth.
     Crisicoccus matsumotoi, a mealybug.
     Grapholita inopinata, Manchurian fruit moth.
     Hoplocampa pyricola, pear fruit sawfly.
     Monilinia fructigena, a fungal pathogen.
     Resseliella yagoi, a gall midge.
    Based on the findings of the pest list, a commodity import 
evaluation document (CIED) was prepared to identify phytosanitary 
measures that could be applied to the importation of sand pears from 
Japan to mitigate the risk posed by these pests.
    We have concluded that sand pears can safely be imported from all 
of Japan (excluding Amami, Bonin, Ryukyu, Tokara, and Volcano Islands), 
using the following phytosanitary measures for imports to any U.S. 
State or territory other than Hawaii. We would remove prefecture 
restrictions on the area of production in Japan, and remove the 
additional declaration on phytosanitary certificates. Requirements for 
the importation of sand pears to Hawaii would remain unchanged. The 
proposed requirements are:
     The sand pears must be accompanied by a phytosanitary 
certificate issued by the NPPO of Japan.
     The sand pears are subject to inspection at the port of 
entry into the United States.
     Only commercial consignments of Japanese sand pears may be 
imported into the United States.
     The sand pears must be imported under permit.
    Therefore, in accordance with Sec.  319.56-4(c)(3), we are 
announcing the availability of our pest list and CIED for public review 
and comment. Those documents, as well as a description of the economic 
considerations associated with the importation of fresh sand pears from 
all of Japan (excluding Amami, Bonin, Ryukyu, Tokara, and Volcano 
Islands), 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 sand pears 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 sand pears fruit from Japan in accordance with 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. 2019-20532 Filed 9-20-19; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3410-34-P