Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service May 20, 2010 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

In a final rule published in the Federal Register on November 2, 2009, and effective on December 2, 2009, we amended the fruits and vegetables regulations to allow the importation of commercial consignments of tomatoes from the Souss-Massa-Draa region of Morocco into the United States. However, we incorrectly referred to the national plant protection organization of Morocco as the Moroccan Ministry of Agriculture's Division of Plant Protection, Inspection, and Enforcement when it was recently changed to the National Office of Food Safety. The National Office of Food Safety is also responsible for export certification inspection and issuance of phytosanitary certificates rather than the Moroccan Ministry of Agriculture, Fresh Product Export. In order to prevent confusion, we are replacing all references to the Moroccan Ministry of Agriculture's Division of Plant Protection, Inspection, and Enforcement and the Moroccan Ministry of Agriculture, Fresh Product Export with the phrase ``national plant protection organization of Morocco.''

We are advising the public that the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service has prepared an environmental assessment relative to the control of hemlock woolly adelgid (Adelges tsugae). The environmental assessment considers the effects of, and alternatives to, the release of an insect, Laricobius osakensis, into the continental United States for use as a biological control agent to reduce the severity of hemlock woolly adelgid infestations. We are making the environmental assessment available to the public for review and comment.