[Federal Register Volume 90, Number 77 (Wednesday, April 23, 2025)]
[Notices]
[Pages 17028-17029]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2025-06937]
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Notices
Federal Register
________________________________________________________________________
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
appearing in this section.
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Federal Register / Vol. 90, No. 77 / Wednesday, April 23, 2025 /
Notices
[[Page 17028]]
DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service
[Docket No. APHIS-2024-0068]
Notice of Decision To Authorize the Importation of Fresh Rhizomes
of Wasabi From Indonesia Into the United States
AGENCY: Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, U.S. Department of
Agriculture.
ACTION: Notice.
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SUMMARY: We are advising the public of our decision to authorize the
importation of fresh rhizomes of wasabi, Eutrema japonicum (Miq.)
Koidz. (Brassicaceae), into the United States for consumption from
Indonesia. Based on the findings of a pest risk analysis, which we made
available to the public for review and comment through a previous
notice, we have determined that the application of one or more
designated phytosanitary measures will be sufficient to mitigate the
risks of introducing or disseminating plant pests or noxious weeds via
the importation of fresh rhizomes of wasabi from Indonesia.
DATES: Imports may be authorized beginning April 23, 2025.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. Hesham Abuelnaga, Senior
Regulatory Policy Specialist, Regulatory Coordination and Compliance,
PPQ, APHIS, 69 Thomas Johnson Dr., Frederick, MD 21702; (301) 820-8791;
[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) of the U.S.
Department of Agriculture 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 and spread
within the United States.
Section 319.56-4 of the regulations contains a performance-based
process for approving the importation of commodities that, based on the
findings of a pest risk analysis, can be safely imported subject to one
or more of the designated phytosanitary measures listed in paragraph
(b) of that section. Under this process, APHIS proposes to authorize
the importation of a fruit or vegetable into the United States if,
based on the findings of a pest risk analysis, we determine that the
measures can mitigate the plant pest risk associated with the
importation of that fruit or vegetable. APHIS then publishes a notice
in the Federal Register announcing the availability of the pest risk
analysis that evaluates the risks associated with the importation of
that fruit or vegetable. Following the close of the 60-day comment
period, APHIS will issue a subsequent notice in the Federal Register
announcing whether or not we will authorize the importation of the
fruit or vegetable subject to the phytosanitary measures specified in
the notice.
In accordance with that process, we published a notice \1\ in the
Federal Register on January 16, 2025 (90 FR 4714-4715, Docket No.
APHIS-2024-0068), in which we announced the availability, for review
and comment, of a pest risk analysis that evaluated the risks
associated with the importation into the United States of fresh
rhizomes of wasabi, Eutrema japonicum (Miq.) Koidz. (Brassicaceae), for
consumption from Indonesia. The pest risk analysis consisted of a risk
assessment identifying pests of quarantine significance that could
follow the pathway of importation of fresh rhizomes of wasabi from
Indonesia and a risk management document (RMD) identifying
phytosanitary measures to be applied to that commodity to mitigate the
pest risk.
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\1\ To view the notice, supporting documents, and the comments
we received, go to www.regulations.gov. Enter APHIS-2024-0068 in the
Search field.
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We solicited comments on the notice for 60 days ending March 17,
2025. We received two comments by that date, one from a wasabi grower
in Indonesia and the other from the national plant protection
organization (NPPO) of Indonesia.
The comment from the Indonesian wasabi grower expressed unqualified
support for the notice.
The commenter representing the NPPO asked that we remove the
requirement for the phytosanitary certificate (PC) to state that the
consignment is free of pests, pointing out that our pest risk
assessment (PRA) did not identify any quarantine pests that could
follow the pathway of the importation of wasabi from Indonesia. As
specified in the RMD that accompanied the initial notice, the
Indonesian NPPO must inspect each consignment of commercially produced
wasabi to be imported into the United States and issue a PC for each
consignment stating that the consignment is free of pests.
We are making no changes in response to the request to amend the PC
requirements. The requirements for the PC are modeled after the
International Plant Protection Convention in its International
Standards for Phytosanitary Measures No. 12, ``Guidelines for
Phytosanitary Certificates,'' which includes a certification that the
consignment has been inspected and/or tested according to appropriate
official procedures and is considered to be free from the quarantine
pests specified by the importing contracting party and to conform with
the current phytosanitary requirements of the importing contracting
party, including those for regulated non-quarantine pests.\2\ In this
regard, we note that our PRA evaluated the plant pest risk associated
with commercially produced wasabi from Indonesia intended for export
for consumption, and this does not obviate the need for individual
consignments to be inspected for plant pests and certified as free. For
example, the PRA did not evaluate the plant pest risk associated with
consignments that have been produced under noncommercial practices or
commingled with noncommercially produced wasabi.
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\2\ https://openknowledge.fao.org/server/api/core/bitstreams/4ae0018d-5df7-4b26-b847-592254042548/content.
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The commenter also asked that the name of the NPPO be updated in
the Economic Effects Assessment (EEA) from ``Ministry of Agriculture,
Agency
[[Page 17029]]
for Agricultural Quarantine'' to ``the Indonesian Quarantine
Authority.''
We are making no changes to the EEA based on the name change of the
NPPO. We acknowledge and agree that the name has been updated but as
this name change does not impact the conclusions of the EEA, we are not
revising it at this time. We will, however, incorporate this name
change in any future documents.
Therefore, in accordance with Sec. 319.56-4(c)(3)(iii), we are
announcing our decision to authorize the importation into the United
States of fresh rhizomes of wasabi, Eutrema japonicum (Miq.) Koidz.
(Brassicaceae), for consumption from Indonesia subject to the
phytosanitary measures identified in the RMD that accompanied the
initial notice.
These conditions will be listed in the U.S. Department of
Agriculture's, APHIS Agricultural Commodity Import Requirements (ACIR)
database (https://acir.aphis.usda.gov/s/). In addition to these
specific measures, each shipment must be subject to the general
requirements listed in Sec. 319.56-3 that are applicable to the
importation of all fruits and vegetables.
Paperwork Reduction Act
In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (44 U.S.C.
3501 et seq.), the recordkeeping and burden requirements associated
with this action are covered under the Office of Management and Budget
control number 0579-0049.
E-Government Act Compliance
The Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service is committed to
compliance with the E-Government Act to promote the use of the internet
and other information technologies, to provide increased opportunities
for citizen access to Government information and services, and for
other purposes. For information pertinent to E-Government Act
compliance related to this notice, please contact [email protected].
(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 17th day of April 2025.
Michael Watson,
Administrator, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service.
[FR Doc. 2025-06937 Filed 4-22-25; 8:45 am]
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