Notice of Proposed Revision to Requirements for the Importation of Grapes From Chile Into the United States, 62783-62784 [2022-22518]

Download as PDF Federal Register / Vol. 87, No. 199 / Monday, October 17, 2022 / Notices questions will be included in the official record of the meeting and posted publicly on the USAID website. Public Meeting A public meeting will take place Thursday, October 27, 2022, from 1:15 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. EDT. This meeting is free and open to the public. Persons wishing to attend the meeting should use the following link: (https:// usaid.zoomgov.com/webinar/register/ WN_9L05MuZsT5imiGiRDn6fdw). American Sign Language interpretation will be provided during the public meeting. Requests for reasonable accommodations should be directed to Daniel McDonald at MEPPA@usaid.gov. Please include ‘‘Request for Reasonable Accommodation, PPF Advisory Board Meeting, October 27’’ in the subject line. Megan Doherty, USAID Designated Federal Officer for the PPF Advisory Board, Bureau for the Middle East, U.S. Agency for International Development. [FR Doc. 2022–22409 Filed 10–14–22; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 6116–01–P DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service [Docket No. APHIS–2021–0078] Notice of Proposed Revision to Requirements for the Importation of Grapes From Chile Into the United States Background Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, USDA. ACTION: Notice of availability. AGENCY: We are advising the public that we have prepared a pest risk assessment (PRA) and a commodity import evaluation document (CIED) relative to the importation into the United States of fresh table grapes from regions of Chile where European grapevine moth (Lobesia botrana, EGVM) is either absent or at very low prevalence. Chile grapes are currently subject to methyl bromide fumigation for EGVM and Chilean false red mite (Brevipalpus chilensis). Based on the PRA and the findings of the CIED, we are also proposing to authorize the importation of grapes from Chile under a systems approach or irradiation for EGVM and B. chilensis; current mitigation measures for Ceratitis capitata, or Medfly, would remain unchanged. We are making the PRA and CIED available to the public for review and comment. lotter on DSK11XQN23PROD with NOTICES1 SUMMARY: VerDate Sep<11>2014 17:35 Oct 14, 2022 Jkt 259001 We will consider all comments that we receive on or before December 16, 2022. ADDRESSES: You may submit comments by either of the following methods: • Federal eRulemaking Portal: Go to www.regulations.gov. Enter APHIS– 2021–0078 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–2021–0078, 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, RCC, IRM, PPQ, APHIS, 4700 River Road, Unit 133, Riverdale, MD 20737–1236; (301) 851– 2353; Claudia.Ferguson@usda.gov. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: DATES: 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 at https://epermits.aphis.usda.gov/ manual; this address provides access to the Agricultural Commodity Import Requirements database, or ACIR.1 It also 1 This address had previously provided access to the Fruit and Vegetable Import Requirements PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4703 62783 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 table grapes (Vitis vinifera L.) are currently listed in ACIR as authorized for importation into the United States subject to methyl bromide fumigation. This requirement was first adopted in 1960 as a risk mitigation measure against the Chilean false red mite (Brevipalpus chilensis), subsequently revised to apply only if quarantine pests were intercepted, and, following frequent pest interceptions, reinstated in 1996 for all shipments. Chile table grapes from areas of Chile under quarantine for Medfly (Ceratitis capitata) are subject to additional pest mitigation measures, which we are not proposing to change.2 On August 27, 2008, we published in the Federal Register (73 FR 50577– 50582, Docket No. APHIS–2007–0152) a proposed rule 3 to allow the importation of fresh table grapes from Chile into the continental United States under a systems approach. Following an outbreak of European grapevine moth (Lobesia botrana, EGVM) in Chile that same year, and subsequent public comments on the proposed rule regarding the outbreak, APHIS elected not to finalize the proposed rule, as the proposed systems approach did not include EGVM-specific measures. Since that time, we have continued to require that table grapes imported from Chile receive methyl bromide fumigation, which also mitigates the risk of EGVM. The national plant protection organization (NPPO) of Chile has requested that APHIS revise the import requirements for grapes from Chile to the United States to allow the export of table grapes from areas of Chile where EGVM is either absent or at very low prevalence (the Arica and Parinacota, Tarapaca´, Antofagasta, Atacama, Coquimbo, and Valparaı´so regions of Chile) under a systems approach or irradiation. database, or FAVIR. However, on September 30, 2022, the FAVIR database was replaced by the ACIR database. 2 We would, however, clarify that irradiation is an approved phytosanitary treatment for Medfly. This is specified in our PPQ Treatment Manual, but not currently reflected in ACIR. 3 To view the proposed rule, go to https:// www.regulations.gov/document/APHIS-2007-01520001. E:\FR\FM\17OCN1.SGM 17OCN1 62784 Federal Register / Vol. 87, No. 199 / Monday, October 17, 2022 / Notices lotter on DSK11XQN23PROD with NOTICES1 In response to this request, APHIS prepared a new pest risk assessment (PRA) that evaluates the risks associated with importation of commercially produced fresh grapes (Vitis vinifera L.) for consumption from Chile into the entire United States. Based on the PRA, a commodity import evaluation document (CIED) was prepared to identify phytosanitary measures that could be applied to grapes from Chile to mitigate pest risk. The CIED recommends that commercially produced shipments of fresh table grapes originating from the Arica and Parinacota, Tarapaca´, Antofagasta, Atacama, Coquimbo, and Valparaı´so regions of Chile could be imported into the United States under a systems approach or irradiation without the risk of introducing quarantine pests. Therefore, in accordance with § 319.56–4(c), we are announcing the availability of our PRA and CIED for public review and comment. Those documents, as well as a description of the economic considerations associated with revising the conditions for the importation of table grapes from Chile, 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 the PRA and CIED 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 table grapes 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 table grapes from Chile as specified in the CIED. 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 12th day of October 2022. Anthony Shea, Administrator, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service. [FR Doc. 2022–22518 Filed 10–14–22; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 3410–34–P VerDate Sep<11>2014 17:35 Oct 14, 2022 Jkt 259001 DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE Food Safety and Inspection Service [Docket No. FSIS–2022–0029] Proposed Framework for Controlling Salmonella in Poultry Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS), U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). ACTION: Notification of public meeting. AGENCY: FSIS is hosting a virtual public meeting to discuss a regulatory framework that the Agency is considering for a new strategy to control Salmonella in poultry products and more effectively reduce foodborne Salmonella infections linked to these products. The framework under consideration has been shaped by months of information-gathering and discussions with a wide range of stakeholders, researchers, and scientists. FSIS is seeking input from stakeholders on this proposed framework, both at the public meeting and in written comments submitted in response to this Federal Register notice before FSIS moves forward with any proposed changes to the Agency’s Salmonella strategy. SUMMARY: The virtual public meeting will be held on Thursday, November 3, 2022, from 10 a.m.–4 p.m. EST. Submit comments on or before November 16, 2022. DATES: The meeting will be virtual and will be viewed via the Zoom link provided by email when you register for the meeting. Attendees must be preregistered for the meeting. See the preregistration instructions under ‘‘Registration and Meeting Materials.’’ Comments on this notice may be by one of the following methods: • Federal eRulemaking Portal: This website provides the ability to type short comments directly into the comment field on this web page or attach a file for lengthier comments. Go to https://www.regulations.gov. Follow the on-line instructions at that site for submitting comments. • Mail: Send to Docket Clerk, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Food Safety and Inspection Service, 1400 Independence Avenue SW, Mailstop 3758, Washington, DC 20250–3700. • Hand- or courier-delivered submittals: Deliver to 1400 Independence Avenue SW, Jamie L. Whitten Building, Room 350–E, Washington, DC 20250–3700. Instructions: All items submitted by mail or electronic mail must include the Agency name and docket number FSIS– ADDRESSES: PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4703 2022–0029. Comments received in response to this docket will be made available for public inspection and posted without change, including any personal information, to https:// www.regulations.gov. Docket: For access to background documents or comments received, email docketclerk@usda.gov or call 202–692– 4235 to schedule a time to visit the FSIS Docket Room at 1400 Independence Avenue SW, Washington, DC 20250– 3700. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Email Congressional and Public Affairs at: SM.FSIS.SALMONELLAMEETING@ USDA.GOV. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Background FSIS is the public health agency in USDA whose mission is to ensure that meat, poultry, and egg products are safe, wholesome, and properly labeled and packaged. FSIS has used the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Healthy People 1 target to set pathogen reduction goals for FSISregulated products over the past few decades. However, the 2010 and 2020 Healthy People targets for a reduction in Salmonella infections from all sources were not met.2 The Healthy People 2030 target is to reduce Salmonella infections to a national case rate of no more than 11.5 per 100,000 consumers per year. To reach the 2030 target, illnesses must be reduced by 25%. Although this target is for Salmonella infections from all sources, FSIS has adopted the same target and aims to reduce Salmonella infections linked to all FSIS-regulated products by 25%. Despite FSIS sampling data showing reductions in Salmonella contamination in poultry products, our current approach to Salmonella has not led to a demonstrable reduction in Salmonella infections to meet the Healthy People target. For example, during the five-year period from 2017 to 2021, the number of chicken product samples in which FSIS detected Salmonella decreased by more than 50%.3 However, the 1 The Healthy People initiative guides national health promotion and disease prevention efforts to improve the health of the nation. Led by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) every decade since 1980, Healthy People identifies science-based objectives with targets to monitor progress and motivate and focus action. 2 The Healthy People 2010 and 2020 targets were 6.8 and 11.4 Salmonella infections per 100,000 population, respectively. Between 2010 and 2017, infection rates averaged 15.8 Salmonella infections per 100,000 population. 3 FSIS Salmonella verification sampling. Available at: https://www.fsis.usda.gov/sciencedata/data-sets-visualizations/microbiology/ salmonella-verification-testing-program-monthly. E:\FR\FM\17OCN1.SGM 17OCN1

Agencies

[Federal Register Volume 87, Number 199 (Monday, October 17, 2022)]
[Notices]
[Pages 62783-62784]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2022-22518]


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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service

[Docket No. APHIS-2021-0078]


Notice of Proposed Revision to Requirements for the Importation 
of Grapes From Chile Into the United States

AGENCY: Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, USDA.

ACTION: Notice of availability.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY: We are advising the public that we have prepared a pest risk 
assessment (PRA) and a commodity import evaluation document (CIED) 
relative to the importation into the United States of fresh table 
grapes from regions of Chile where European grapevine moth (Lobesia 
botrana, EGVM) is either absent or at very low prevalence. Chile grapes 
are currently subject to methyl bromide fumigation for EGVM and Chilean 
false red mite (Brevipalpus chilensis). Based on the PRA and the 
findings of the CIED, we are also proposing to authorize the 
importation of grapes from Chile under a systems approach or 
irradiation for EGVM and B. chilensis; current mitigation measures for 
Ceratitis capitata, or Medfly, would remain unchanged. We are making 
the PRA and CIED available to the public for review and comment.

DATES: We will consider all comments that we receive on or before 
December 16, 2022.

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments by either of the following methods:
     Federal eRulemaking Portal: Go to www.regulations.gov. 
Enter APHIS-2021-0078 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-2021-0078, 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, RCC, IRM, PPQ, APHIS, 4700 River Road, 
Unit 133, Riverdale, MD 20737-1236; (301) 851-2353; 
[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 at https://epermits.aphis.usda.gov/manual; this address provides access to the 
Agricultural Commodity Import Requirements database, or ACIR.\1\ 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.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \1\ This address had previously provided access to the Fruit and 
Vegetable Import Requirements database, or FAVIR. However, on 
September 30, 2022, the FAVIR database was replaced by the ACIR 
database.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Chile table grapes (Vitis vinifera L.) are currently listed in ACIR 
as authorized for importation into the United States subject to methyl 
bromide fumigation. This requirement was first adopted in 1960 as a 
risk mitigation measure against the Chilean false red mite (Brevipalpus 
chilensis), subsequently revised to apply only if quarantine pests were 
intercepted, and, following frequent pest interceptions, reinstated in 
1996 for all shipments. Chile table grapes from areas of Chile under 
quarantine for Medfly (Ceratitis capitata) are subject to additional 
pest mitigation measures, which we are not proposing to change.\2\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \2\ We would, however, clarify that irradiation is an approved 
phytosanitary treatment for Medfly. This is specified in our PPQ 
Treatment Manual, but not currently reflected in ACIR.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    On August 27, 2008, we published in the Federal Register (73 FR 
50577-50582, Docket No. APHIS-2007-0152) a proposed rule \3\ to allow 
the importation of fresh table grapes from Chile into the continental 
United States under a systems approach. Following an outbreak of 
European grapevine moth (Lobesia botrana, EGVM) in Chile that same 
year, and subsequent public comments on the proposed rule regarding the 
outbreak, APHIS elected not to finalize the proposed rule, as the 
proposed systems approach did not include EGVM-specific measures. Since 
that time, we have continued to require that table grapes imported from 
Chile receive methyl bromide fumigation, which also mitigates the risk 
of EGVM.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \3\ To view the proposed rule, go to https://www.regulations.gov/document/APHIS-2007-0152-0001.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    The national plant protection organization (NPPO) of Chile has 
requested that APHIS revise the import requirements for grapes from 
Chile to the United States to allow the export of table grapes from 
areas of Chile where EGVM is either absent or at very low prevalence 
(the Arica and Parinacota, Tarapac[aacute], Antofagasta, Atacama, 
Coquimbo, and Valpara[iacute]so regions of Chile) under a systems 
approach or irradiation.

[[Page 62784]]

    In response to this request, APHIS prepared a new pest risk 
assessment (PRA) that evaluates the risks associated with importation 
of commercially produced fresh grapes (Vitis vinifera L.) for 
consumption from Chile into the entire United States. Based on the PRA, 
a commodity import evaluation document (CIED) was prepared to identify 
phytosanitary measures that could be applied to grapes from Chile to 
mitigate pest risk. The CIED recommends that commercially produced 
shipments of fresh table grapes originating from the Arica and 
Parinacota, Tarapac[aacute], Antofagasta, Atacama, Coquimbo, and 
Valpara[iacute]so regions of Chile could be imported into the United 
States under a systems approach or irradiation without the risk of 
introducing quarantine pests.
    Therefore, in accordance with Sec.  319.56-4(c), we are announcing 
the availability of our PRA and CIED for public review and comment. 
Those documents, as well as a description of the economic 
considerations associated with revising the conditions for the 
importation of table grapes from Chile, 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 the PRA and CIED 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 table grapes 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 table grapes from Chile as specified in the CIED.
    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 12th day of October 2022.
Anthony Shea,
Administrator, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service.
[FR Doc. 2022-22518 Filed 10-14-22; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3410-34-P
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