Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service March 21, 2011 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

In a final rule that was published in the Federal Register on November 16, 2010, and effective on December 1, 2010, we added the Brazilian State of Santa Catarina to the list of regions we recognize as free of foot-and-mouth disease (FMD), rinderpest, swine vesicular disease (SVD), classical swine fever (CSF), and African swine fever. We also added Santa Catarina to the list of regions that are subject to certain import restrictions on meat and meat products because of their proximity to or trading relationships with rinderpest- or FMD-affected countries. In the final rule, we neglected to add Santa Catarina to the lists of regions that are subject to certain import restrictions on pork and pork products because of their proximity to or trading relationships with SVD- and CSF-affected countries. This document corrects that error.

We are proposing to amend the fruits and vegetables regulations to allow the importation into the continental United States of baby kiwi fruit from Chile, subject to a systems approach. Under this systems approach, the fruit would have to be grown in a place of production that is registered with the Government of Chile and certified as having a low prevalence of Brevipalpus chilensis. The fruit would have to undergo pre-harvest sampling at the registered production site. Following post-harvest processing, the fruit would have to be inspected in Chile at an approved inspection site. Each consignment of fruit would have to be accompanied by a phytosanitary certificate with an additional declaration stating that the fruit had been found free of Brevipalpus chilensis based on field and packinghouse inspections. This proposed rule would allow for the safe importation of fresh baby kiwi from Chile using mitigation measures other than fumigation with methyl bromide.

We are advising the public that we have prepared a pest risk analysis that evaluates the risks associated with the importation into the continental United States of fresh persimmon fruit (Diospyros kaki) from the Republic of South Africa. Based on this analysis, 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 fresh persimmon fruit from the Republic of South Africa. We are making the pest risk analysis available to the public for review and comment.