[Federal Register Volume 76, Number 22 (Wednesday, February 2, 2011)]
[Notices]
[Pages 5779-5780]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2011-2235]
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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service
[Docket No. APHIS-2010-0112]
Notice of Availability of a Pest Risk Analysis for the
Importation of Fresh Litchi From the Republic of South Africa Into the
Continental 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 that evaluates the risks associated with the importation of
fresh litchi from the Republic of South Africa into the continental
United States. Based on that analysis, we have concluded 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 litchi from the Republic
of South Africa. 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 April
4, 2011.
ADDRESSES: You may submit comments by either of the following methods:
Federal eRulemaking Portal: Go to http://www.regulations.gov/fdmspublic/component/main?main=DocketDetail&d=APHIS-2010-0112 to submit or view comments and
to view supporting and related materials available electronically.
Postal Mail/Commercial Delivery: Please send one copy of
your comment to Docket No. APHIS-2010-0112, Regulatory Analysis and
Development, PPD, APHIS, Station 3A-03.8, 4700 River Road Unit 118,
Riverdale, MD 20737-1238. Please state that your comment refers to
Docket No. APHIS-2010-0112.
Reading Room: You may read any comments that we receive on this
docket in our reading room. The reading room is located in room 1141 of
the USDA South Building, 14th Street and Independence Avenue, SW.,
Washington, DC. Normal reading room
[[Page 5780]]
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) 690-2817
before coming.
Other Information: Additional information about APHIS and its
programs is available on the Internet at http://www.aphis.usda.gov.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. Marc Phillips, Import Specialist,
Regulatory Coordination and Compliance, PPQ, APHIS, 4700 River Road
Unit 133, Riverdale, MD 20737; (301) 734-4394.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Background
Under the regulations in ``Subpart--Fruits and Vegetables'' (7 CFR
319.56-1 through 319.56-50, 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 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. These measures are:
The fruits or vegetables are subject to inspection upon
arrival in the United States and comply with all applicable provisions
of Sec. 319.56-3;
The fruits or vegetables are imported from a pest-free
area in the country of origin that meets the requirements of Sec.
319.56-5 for freedom from that pest and are accompanied by a
phytosanitary certificate stating that the fruits or vegetables
originated in a pest-free area in the country of origin;
The fruits or vegetables are treated in accordance with 7
CFR part 305;
The fruits or vegetables are inspected in the country of
origin by an inspector or an official of the national plant protection
organization of the exporting country, and have been found free of one
or more specific quarantine pests identified by the risk analysis as
likely to follow the import pathway; and/or
The fruits or vegetables are imported as a commercial
consignment.
APHIS received a request from the Government of the Republic of
South Africa to allow the importation of fresh litchi fruits, Litchi
chinensis, into the continental United States. Currently, fresh litchi
fruits are not authorized for entry from the Republic of South Africa.
We completed a pest risk assessment to identify pests of quarantine
significance that could follow the pathway of importation if such
imports were to be allowed and, based on the pest risk assessment, have
prepared a risk management document to identify phytosanitary measures
that could be applied to the commodity to mitigate the pest risks. We
have concluded that fresh litchi fruits can safely be imported into the
continental United States from the Republic of South Africa using one
or more of the five designated phytosanitary measures listed in Sec.
319.56-4(b). Therefore, in accordance with Sec. 319.56-4(c)(2), we are
announcing the availability of our pest risk analysis for public review
and comment. The analysis may be viewed on the Regulations.gov Web site
or in our reading room (see ADDRESSES above for instructions for
accessing Regulations.gov and information on the location and hours of
the reading room). You may request paper copies of the analysis by
calling or writing to the person listed under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION
CONTACT. Please refer to the subject of the analysis that you wish to
review when requesting copies.
After reviewing any comments we receive, we will announce our
decision regarding the import status of fresh litchi fruits from the
Republic of South Africa in a subsequent notice. If the overall
conclusions of the analysis and the Administrator's determination of
risk remain unchanged following our consideration of the comments, then
we will begin issuing permits for the importation of fresh litchi
fruits from the Republic of South Africa into the continental United
States subject to the requirements specified in the risk management
document.
Authority: 7 U.S.C. 450, 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 27th day of January 2011.
Kevin Shea,
Acting Administrator, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service.
[FR Doc. 2011-2235 Filed 2-1-11; 8:45 am]
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