[Federal Register Volume 86, Number 210 (Wednesday, November 3, 2021)]
[Notices]
[Pages 60613-60614]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2021-23904]


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 Notices
                                                 Federal Register
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 This section of the FEDERAL REGISTER contains documents other than rules 
 or proposed rules that are applicable to the public. Notices of hearings 
 and investigations, committee meetings, agency decisions and rulings, 
 delegations of authority, filing of petitions and applications and agency 
 statements of organization and functions are examples of documents 
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  Federal Register / Vol. 86, No. 210 / Wednesday, November 3, 2021 / 
Notices  

[[Page 60613]]



DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service

[Docket No. APHIS-2021-0041]


Notice of Proposed Revision to Requirements for the Importation 
of Plums From Chile 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 commodity 
import evaluation document (CIED) relative to the importation into the 
United States of plums from Chile. Chile plums are currently subject to 
irradiation, either in Chile or in the United States, as a mitigation 
for European grapevine moth (EGVM). Based on the findings of the CIED, 
in addition to the option of irradiation, we are also proposing to 
authorize the importation of plums from Chile under a systems approach 
for EGVM, as well as an option for fumigation with methyl bromide. 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 
January 3, 2022.

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments by either of the following methods:
     Federal eRulemaking Portal: Go to www.regulations.gov. 
Enter APHIS-2021-0041 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-2021-0041, 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 www.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; 
[email protected].

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.
    Chile plums (Prunus domestica) are currently listed in FAVIR as 
authorized for importation into the United States; however, the 
requirements for such imports have recently changed. Following 
detections during preclearance inspections in Chile of European 
grapevine moth (EGVM; Lobesia botrana) larvae and pupae in plums 
intended for shipment to the United States, on April 1, 2021, APHIS 
issued a Federal Order (DA-2021-04) \1\ modifying the requirements for 
such imports to prevent the introduction of EGVM. The Federal Order 
required plums exported to the United States from Chile to be 
irradiated with a minimum absorbed dose of 400 Gy upon arrival in the 
United States or subjected to methyl bromide fumigation that was 
conducted in Chile under an APHIS preclearance program. The allowance 
for methyl bromide fumigation provided for in the Federal Order ended 
on May 31, 2021.
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    \1\ To view the Federal Order, go to: https://www.aphis.usda.gov/import_export/plants/plant_imports/federal_order/downloads/2021/da-2021-04.pdf.
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    The national plant protection organization (NPPO) of Chile has 
requested that APHIS revise the import requirements for plums from 
Chile to the United States to allow for alternative mitigations to 
address EGVM other than irradiation. In response to this request from 
the NPPO, APHIS prepared a commodity import evaluation document (CIED) 
titled ``Importation of Fresh Plums and Plum hybrids (Prunus domestica) 
from Chile into the United States using a systems approach to mitigate 
for European Grapevine Moth (Lobesia botrana).'' The CIED recommends 
that, in addition to irradiation, the EGVM risk associated with the 
importation of plums from Chile could also be mitigated by a systems 
approach or by methyl bromide fumigation in Chile or at the port of 
entry in the United States.
    Therefore, in accordance with Sec.  319.56-4(c), 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 alternatives to the irradiation requirement, 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

[[Page 60614]]

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 plums 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 plums 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 28th day of October 2021.
Mark Davidson,
Administrator, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service.
[FR Doc. 2021-23904 Filed 11-2-21; 8:45 am]
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