[Federal Register Volume 75, Number 180 (Friday, September 17, 2010)]
[Notices]
[Page 56981]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2010-23238]
[[Page 56981]]
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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service
[Docket No. APHIS-2010-0058]
Notice of Decision To Issue Permits for the Importation of Sweet
Limes From Mexico 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 of our decision to begin issuing
permits for the importation into the continental United States of sweet
limes from Mexico. 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 believe 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 sweet limes from Mexico.
EFFECTIVE DATE: September 17, 2010.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. David Lamb, Import Specialist,
Regulatory Coordination and Compliance, PPQ, APHIS, 4700 River Road
Unit 133, Riverdale, MD 20737; (301) 734-0627.
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 spreading
within the United States. Under that process, APHIS may publish a
notice in the Federal Register announcing the availability of a pest
risk analysis that evaluates the risks associated with the importation
of a particular fruit or vegetable. Following the close of the 60-day
comment period, APHIS may begin issuing permits for importation of the
fruit or vegetable subject to the risk-mitigation measures identified
in the pest risk analysis if: (1) No comments were received on the pest
risk analysis; (2) the comments on the pest risk analysis revealed that
no changes to the pest risk analysis were necessary; or (3) changes to
the pest risk analysis were made in response to public comments, but
the changes did not affect the overall conclusions of the analysis and
the Administrator's determination of risk.
In accordance with that process, we published a notice\1\ in the
Federal Register on June 10, 2010 (75 FR 32900-32901, Docket No. APHIS-
2010-0058), in which we announced the availability, for review and
comment, of a pest risk analysis evaluating the risks associated with
the importation into the continental United States of sweet limes from
Mexico. We solicited comments on the notice for 60 days ending on
August 9, 2010. We received one comment by that date, from a State
agricultural agency. The commenter concurred with the findings of our
pest risk analysis.
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\1\ To view the notice, the pest risk analysis, and the comment
we received, go to (http://www.regulations.gov/fdmspublic/component/main?main=DocketDetail&d=APHIS-2010-0058).
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Therefore, in accordance with the regulations in Sec. 319.56-
4(c)(2)(ii), we are announcing our decision to begin issuing permits
for the importation into the continental United States of sweet limes
from Mexico provided that:
The sweet limes may be imported into the United States in
commercial consignments only.
The sweet limes must be irradiated in accordance with 7
CFR part 305 with a minimum absorbed dose of 150 Gy.
Each shipment of sweet limes must be inspected by the
Mexican national plant protection organization and accompanied by a
phytosanitary certificate attesting that the fruit received the
required irradiation treatment and bearing an additional declaration
that states that the fruit was inspected in the packinghouse and found
free of Brevipalpus californicus, B. phoenicus, Diaphorina citri, and
Coniothecium scabrum.
These conditions will be listed in the Fruits and Vegetables Import
Requirements database (available at (http://www.aphis.usda.gov/favir)).
In addition to these specific measures, sweet limes from Mexico will be
subject to the general requirements listed in Sec. 319.56-3 that are
applicable to the importation of all fruits and vegetables.
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 13\th\ day of September 2010.
Kevin Shea,
Acting Administrator, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service.
[FR Doc. 2010-23238 Filed 9-16-10; 11:25 am]
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