[Federal Register Volume 86, Number 48 (Monday, March 15, 2021)]
[Notices]
[Pages 14301-14302]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2021-05273]


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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service

[Docket No. APHIS-2020-0063]


Notice of Proposed Revision To Import Requirements for the 
Importation of Fresh Sand Pears From the Republic of Korea 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 pest risk 
analysis relative to the importation into the United States of sand 
pear (Pyrus pyrifolia var. culta) fruit from the Republic of Korea. 
Currently, sand pear fruit may be imported into the United States from 
the Republic of Korea under an Animal and Plant Health Inspection 
Service preclearance program or as non-precleared fruit into the port 
of Honolulu, HI. Based on the findings of our analysis, we are 
proposing to authorize imports of non-precleared sand pear fruit from 
the Republic of Korea into all U.S. ports as an alternative to the 
preclearance program. All sand pear fruit intended for importation into 
the United States from the Republic of Korea would be subject to a 
systems approach currently required for precleared fruit. 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 May 
14, 2021.

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments by either of the following methods:
     Federal eRulemaking Portal: Go to www.regulations.gov. 
Enter APHIS-2020-0063 in the Search field. Select the Documents tab, 
then select the Comment button in the list of documents.
     Postal Mail/Commercial Delivery: Send your comment to 
Docket No. APHIS-2020-0063, Regulatory Analysis

[[Page 14302]]

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 regulations.gov or in our reading room, which is located 
in Room 1620 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. Claudia Ferguson, Senior 
Regulatory Policy Specialist, Regulatory Coordination and Compliance, 
Imports, Regulations, and Manuals, PPQ, APHIS, 4700 River Road, Unit 
133, Riverdale, MD 20737-1231; (301) 851-2352.

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 in the 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.
    Pyrus pyrifolia var. culta (sand pear) fruit from the Republic of 
Korea is currently listed in FAVIR as a fruit authorized for 
importation into the continental United States under an APHIS-managed 
preclearance program; non-precleared fruit is authorized for 
importation only into the port of Honolulu, HI. In addition, all sand 
pear fruit produced in the Republic of Korea for export to the United 
States must be grown, processed, and shipped under a systems approach 
detailed in an operational workplan.
    The Republic of Korea requested that APHIS conduct a risk 
evaluation to allow exports of non-precleared sand pear fruit into all 
U.S. ports, in addition to the exports already allowed under the APHIS 
preclearance program. In response, we reviewed the current pest list 
for sand pear fruit from the Republic of Korea and added a new 
quarantine pest of concern, Resseliella yagoi, to the existing list.
    Using the updated pest list, we drafted a commodity import 
evaluation document (CIED) to identify phytosanitary measures that 
could be applied to the importation of sand pear fruit from the 
Republic of Korea to mitigate the risk posed by quarantine pests of 
concern. We included in the CIED our finding that the current systems 
approach to mitigate pest risk in precleared sand pear fruit would also 
be sufficient to allow the importation of non-precleared fruit from the 
Republic of Korea into all U.S. ports. Under the change we propose, the 
oversight of production practices, fruit inspections, and phytosanitary 
certification of non-precleared sand pear fruit would be conducted by 
the Republic of Korea national plant protection organization (NPPO) 
rather than by APHIS preclearance personnel.
    The following systems approach measures would be required for all 
sand pear fruit imported into the United States from the Republic of 
Korea:
     Sand pears must be imported as commercial consignments 
only.
     Sand pears must be grown in places of production and 
packed in packinghouses registered with the Republic of Korea NPPO.
     Places of production must be inspected for symptoms of 
quarantine pests and diseases. If such pests and diseases are found, 
adequate mitigations measures should be implemented.
     Sand pears must be bagged when the fruit is between 2.5 
and 3.5 centimeters in diameter. All fruit must be bagged by June 30. 
Bagging is required to prevent all arthropod pests from infesting the 
fruits.
     Each sand pear consignment must be labeled to allow trace 
back.
     Each sand pear consignment must be accompanied by a 
phytosanitary certificate issued by the Republic of Korea NPPO stating 
that the consignment has been inspected and found free of quarantine 
pests.
    For preclearance program exports of sand pear:
     Each precleared consignment must be accompanied by a Plant 
Protection and Quarantine Form 203, which indicates the commodity has 
been inspected by APHIS at origin.
    For non-preclearance exports of sand pear:
     Each non-precleared consignment is subject to inspection 
at the U.S. ports-of-entry.
    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 pear fruit 
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 whether to revise the requirements for the 
importation of sand pear fruit 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, we will revise the requirements for the 
importation of sand pear fruit from the Republic of Korea 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 9th day of March 2021.
Mark Davidson,
Acting Administrator, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service.
[FR Doc. 2021-05273 Filed 3-12-21; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3410-34-P