[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]
 BILLING CODE 3410-34-P