[Federal Register Volume 84, Number 218 (Tuesday, November 12, 2019)]
[Notices]
[Pages 61005-61006]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2019-24535]
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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service
[Docket No. APHIS-2019-0062]
Notice of Availability of a Pest Risk Analysis for the
Importation of Fresh Carrots From the Republic of Korea 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 that evaluates the risks associated with importation of fresh
carrots from the Republic of Korea into the United States. Based on the
analysis, we have determined that the application of one or more
phytosanitary measures will be sufficient to mitigate the risks of
introducing or disseminating plant pests or noxious weeds via the
importation of fresh carrots from the Republic of Korea. 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
January 13, 2020.
ADDRESSES: You may submit comments by either of the following methods:
Federal eRulemaking Portal: Go to http://www.regulations.gov/#!docketDetail;D=APHIS-2019-0062.
Postal Mail/Commercial Delivery: Send your comment to
Docket No. APHIS-2019-0062, 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/
[[Page 61006]]
#!docketDetail;D=APHIS-2019-0062 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: Ms. Carol Kreger, Regulatory Policy
Specialist, Regulatory Coordination and Compliance, PPQ, APHIS, 4700
River Road, Unit 133, Riverdale, MD 20737; (301) 851-2356.
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 contains a performance-based process for approving
the importation of certain fruits and vegetables that, based on the
findings of a pest risk analysis, can be safely imported subject to one
or more of the five designated phytosanitary measures listed in
paragraph (b) of that section.
APHIS received a request from the national plant protection
organization (NPPO) of the Republic of Korea to allow the importation
of fresh carrots into the United States. As part of our evaluation of
the Republic of Korea's request, we have prepared a pest risk
assessment (PRA) to identify pests of quarantine significance that
could follow the pathway of importation of fresh carrots into the
United States from the Republic of Korea. The PRA identifies two
quarantine pests that could follow the pathway: Helicobasidium mompa
and Sclerotinia nivalis, both phytopathogenic fungi. Based on the PRA,
we prepared a risk management document (RMD) to identify phytosanitary
measures that could be applied to the fresh carrots to mitigate the
pest risk.
We have concluded that fresh carrots can be safely imported from
the Republic of Korea into the United States using one or more of the
five designated phytosanitary measures listed in Sec. 319.56-4(b). The
NPPO of the Republic of Korea would have to enter into an operational
workplan with APHIS that spells out the daily procedures the NPPO will
take to implement the measures identified in the RMD. These measures
are summarized below:
Carrots must be commercially produced and may be imported
in commercial consignments only.
Carrots must be grown in places of production registered
and packed in packinghouses registered by the NPPO of the Republic of
Korea as part of an export program to the United States.
The NPPO of the Republic of Korea must review and maintain
all forms and documents related to export program activities in
registered places of production and packinghouses for at least 1 year
and make them available to APHIS upon request.
If the NPPO of the Republic of Korea finds that a place of
production or packinghouse is not complying with the requirements of
the systems approach, no carrot from the place of production or
packinghouse will be eligible for export to the United States until
APHIS and the NPPO of the Republic of Korea conduct an investigation
and appropriate remedial actions have been implemented.
Carrots must originate from a place of production that was
inspected for signs of fungi of quarantine concern prior to harvest and
found free of disease symptoms or must be treated with a broad-spectrum
fungicide during the growing season, inspected prior to harvest, and
found free of fungi of quarantine concern.
Carrot taproots must be washed and disinfected, and free
of soil and green tops.
A biometric sample of carrot taproots (jointly agreed upon
by APHIS and the NPPO) must be inspected in the Republic of Korea by
the NPPO of the Republic of Korea following any post-harvest
processing. The biometric sample must be visually inspected for the
quarantine pests Helicobasidium mompa and Sclerotinia nivalis. If any
quarantine fungi is found, the entire lot of carrots is prohibited from
import into the United States. APHIS may prohibit the importation into
the United States of carrots from the places of production for the
season.
Each consignment of carrots must be accompanied by a
phytosanitary certificate issued by the NPPO of the Republic of Korea
with an additional declaration (AD) stating that the consignment was
produced and prepared for export in accordance with the operational
workplan, and inspected and found free of pests of quarantine concern.
Carrots are subject to inspection at the port of entry
into the United States.
Carrots presented for inspection at the port of entry to
the United States must be identified to specify the place of production
in which the carrots were produced, and the packinghouse(s), in which
the carrots were processed and packed. This identification must be
maintained until the carrots are released from the port of first
arrival into the United States.
Each of the pest risk mitigation measures that would be required,
along with evidence of their efficacy in removing pests of concern from
the pathway, are described in detail in the RMD.
Therefore, in accordance with Sec. 319.56-4(c)(3), we are
announcing the availability of our PRA and RMD for public review and
comment. Those documents, as well as a description of the economic
considerations associated with the importation of fresh carrots from
the Republic of Korea, 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 the import status of fresh carrots from the Republic
of Korea 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 authorize the
importation of fresh carrots from the Republic of Korea into the United
States subject to the requirements specified in the RMD.
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 4th day of November 2019.
Kevin Shea,
Administrator, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service.
[FR Doc. 2019-24535 Filed 11-8-19; 8:45 am]
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