Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service December 3, 2014 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

We are proposing to amend the regulations governing the importation of plants and plant products to add orchid plants of the genus Oncidium from Taiwan to the list of plants that may be imported into the United States in an approved growing medium, subject to specified growing, inspection, and certification requirements. We are taking this action in response to a request from the Taiwanese Government and after determining that the plants could be imported, under certain conditions, without resulting in the introduction into, or the dissemination within, the United States of a plant pest or noxious weed.

In a final rule that was published in the Federal Register on July 9, 2014, and effective on August 8, 2014, we amended the provisions of the National Poultry Improvement Plan by, among other things, amending the standards for the U.S. H5/H7 Avian Influenza Monitored classification. In that amendment, we incorrectly indicated that table-egg layer flocks may qualify for U.S. H5/H7 Avian Influenza Monitored status if they meet one of three testing and surveillance requirements, when we should have indicated such flocks must meet all applicable listed testing and surveillance requirements to qualify. This document corrects that error. We are also making several other minor edits for clarity.