[Federal Register Volume 85, Number 62 (Tuesday, March 31, 2020)]
[Notices]
[Pages 17850-17851]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2020-06696]
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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service
[Docket No. APHIS-2019-0049]
Import Requirements for the Importation of Fresh Blueberries From
Chile 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 a commodity
import evaluation document (CIED) relative to the importation into the
United States of blueberries from Chile. Currently, blueberries from
Chile imported into the United States from an area in which European
grapevine moth is known to exist must be fumigated with methyl bromide.
Based on the findings of the CIED, we are proposing to also allow the
importation of such blueberries under the provisions of a systems
approach. We are making the CIED available to the public for review and
comment.
DATES: We will consider all comments that we receive on or before June
1, 2020.
ADDRESSES: You may submit comments by either of the following methods:
Federal eRulemaking Portal: Go to http://www.regulations.gov/#!docketDetail;D=APHIS-2019-0049.
Postal Mail/Commercial Delivery: Send your comment to
Docket No. APHIS-2019-0049, 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-
0049 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, or FAVIR (https://epermits.aphis.usda.gov/manual). It also provides that, if the
Administrator 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, blueberries from Chile are listed in FAVIR as a fruit
authorized importation into the United States. Blueberries from a
region of Chile in which European grapevine moth (Lobesia botrana,
EGVM) is known to exist (Regions VI, VII, VIII, or XVI) must be
fumigated with methyl bromide.
The national plant protection organization (NPPO) of Chile stated
that areas of low pest prevalence for EGVM exist in Regions VIII and
XVI of Chile, and asked that we evaluate whether blueberries from these
two regions could be authorized importation into the United States
under a systems approach in lieu of fumigation with methyl bromide. In
response to this request, we have prepared a commodity import
evaluation document (CIED). The CIED determined that a systems approach
consisting of the following measures reasonably mitigates the plant
pest risk associated with blueberries from Regions VIII and XVI:
The NPPO of Chile would have to enter into an operational
workplan with APHIS that details the activities and responsibilities
that the NPPO would carry out in order to meet the requirements of the
systems approach. APHIS would have to approve the workplan prior to
implementation of the systems approach.
[[Page 17851]]
Places of production and packinghouses would have to be
registered with and approved by the NPPO of Chile. Additionally,
packinghouses would have to be pest exclusionary.
If the NPPO of Chile determines that a registered place of
production or packinghouse is not complying with the provisions of the
systems approach, no blueberries from the place of production or
packinghouse would be eligible for export into the United States until
APHIS and the NPPO conduct an investigation and appropriate remedial
actions have been implemented.
The NPPO of Chile would have to demonstrate continued low
pest prevalence for EGVM in Regions VIII and XVI through a national
trapping program for EGVM. Trapping density and servicing, as well as
thresholds for low pest prevalence, would be detailed in the
operational workplan.
If the place of production is within an area of Region
VIII or XVI that is designated by the NPPO of Chile as a regulated area
for EGVM, the place of production would have to have a field inspection
by the NPPO within 2 weeks prior to harvest with no finds of immature
EGVM based on a biometric sample of plants. Places of production in
control areas for EGVM would not be authorized to export blueberries to
the United States under the terms of the systems approach and
blueberries from such areas would have to be fumigated with methyl
bromide in order to be exported to the United States.
Packed blueberries would have to be inspected by the NPPO
of Chile prior to export under the auspices of APHIS' preclearance
program within Chile.
Each shipment would have to be accompanied by a
phytosanitary certificate issued by the NPPO with an additional
declaration that the blueberries were produced in an area of low pest
prevalence for EGVM.
Each shipment would be subject to inspection for
quarantine pests at the port of entry into the United States.
If immature stages of EGVM are detected during field
inspections or packinghouse inspections, or any life stage of EGVM is
detected at a port of entry into the United States, the consignment
could not be imported into the United States and the place of
production would be suspended from the systems approach export program
until reinstated. Blueberries from that place of production would have
to be fumigated with methyl bromide in order to be exported to the
United States until such reinstatement.
Therefore, in accordance with Sec. 319.56-4(c)(3), we are
announcing the availability of our CIED for public review and comment.
This document, as well as a description of the economic considerations
associated with the proposed systems approach, 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 blueberries from Chile 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 blueberries from Chile 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 26th day of March 2020.
Mark Davidson,
Acting Administrator, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service.
[FR Doc. 2020-06696 Filed 3-30-20; 8:45 am]
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