Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, this notice announces the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service's intention to request an extension of approval of an information collection associated with regulations for the importation of horses, ruminants, swine, and dogs from regions of the world where screwworm is considered to exist.

We are proposing to allow, under certain conditions, the importation of commercial shipments of peppers from Panama into the United States without treatment. The conditions to which the proposed importation of peppers would be subject, including trapping, pre- harvest inspection, and shipping procedures, are designed to prevent the introduction of quarantine pests into the United States. This action would allow for the importation of peppers from Panama into the United States, while continuing to provide protection against the introduction of quarantine pests.

We are advising the public that an environmental assessment and finding of no significant impact have been prepared by the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service relative to a request to allow the interstate movement of garbage from Hawaii to a landfill in the State of Washington. The environmental assessment documents our review and analysis of the environmental impacts associated with, and alternatives to, the movement of palletized or containerized baled municipal solid waste to three existing ports on the Columbia River via barge and the transfer and transportation of the waste via truck or rail to the landfill. Based on its finding of no significant impact, the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service has determined that an environmental impact statement need not be prepared.

We are amending the emerald ash borer regulations by adding portions of Kentucky, Michigan, Minnesota, New York, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, and the entire State of West Virginia to the list of quarantined areas. This action will restrict the interstate movement of regulated articles from areas in the States of Kentucky, Michigan, Minnesota, New York, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, and Wisconsin. This interim rule is necessary to prevent the artificial spread of the emerald ash borer to noninfested areas of the United States.

We are amending the black stem rust quarantine and regulations by adding 21 varieties to the list of rust-resistant Berberis species or cultivars and 2 varieties to the list of rust-resistant Mahonia species or cultivars in the regulations. This action will allow for the interstate movement of these newly developed varieties without unnecessary restrictions.

We are advising the public that the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service has prepared an environmental assessment relative to the control of Asian citrus psyllid (Diaphorina citri Kuwayama). The environmental assessment considers the effects of, and alternatives to, the release of an insect, Tamarixia radiata, into the continental United States for use as a biological control agent to reduce the severity of Asian citrus psyllid infestations. We are making the environmental assessment available to the public for review and comment.

We are proposing to amend our fruits and vegetables regulations to provide for the importation of Hass avocados from Mexico into Puerto Rico under the same systems approach currently required for the importation of Hass avocados into all States of the United States from Michoac[aacute]n, Mexico. The systems approach requirements include trapping, orchard certification, limited production area, trace back labeling, pre-harvest orchard surveys for all pests, orchard sanitation, post-harvest safeguards, fruit cutting and inspection at the packinghouse, port-of-arrival inspection, and clearance activities. This action would allow for the importation of Hass avocados from Michoac[aacute]n, Mexico, into Puerto Rico while continuing to provide protection against the introduction of quarantine pests. In addition, we are proposing to amend the regulations to provide for the Mexican national plant protection organization to use an approved designee to inspect avocados for export and to suspend importation of avocados into the United States from Michoac[aacute]n, Mexico, only from specific orchards or packinghouses when quarantine pests are detected, rather than suspending imports from the entire municipality where the affected orchards or packinghouses are located. These changes would provide additional flexibility in operating the export program while continuing to provide protection against the introduction of quarantine pests.

We are advising the public that the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service has prepared an environmental assessment for proposed controlled field releases of a genetically engineered clone of a Eucalyptus hybrid. The purpose of this release is to continue research on the efficacy of genetic constructs intended to confer cold tolerance, alter lignin biosynthesis and alter fertility. After assessing the application, reviewing pertinent scientific information, and considering comments provided by the public, APHIS has concluded that these field releases are unlikely to pose a plant pest risk, nor are they likely to have a significant impact on the quality of the human environment. Based on its finding of no significant impact, the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service has determined that an environmental impact statement need not be prepared for this field release.

We are adopting as a final rule, without change, an interim rule that amended the noxious weed regulations by adding Old World climbing fern (Lygodium microphyllum (Cavanilles) R. Brown) and maidenhair creeper (Lygodium flexuosum (Linnaeus) Swartz) to the list of terrestrial noxious weeds. This action is necessary to prevent the artificial spread of these noxious weeds within and into the United States.

In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, this notice announces the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service's intention to revise an information collection associated with the Cooperative Agricultural Pest Survey and to request extension of approval of the information collection.

This is to notify all interested parties, including individuals and entities possessing, using, or transferring biological agents and toxins listed in 7 CFR 331.3, 9 CFR 121.3 and 121.4, or 42 CFR 73.3 and 73.4, that a meeting will be held to provide regulatory guidance related to the Federal Select Agent Program established under the Public Health Security and Bioterrorism Preparedness and Response Act of 2002. The meeting is being organized by the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, the Department of Health and Human Services' Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the Department of Justice's Federal Bureau of Investigation. Issues to be discussed include entity registration, security risk assessments, biosafety requirements, and security measures.

We are advising the public of our determination that a corn line developed by Syngenta Biotechnology, Inc., designated as transformation event MIR162, which has been genetically engineered for insect resistance, is no longer considered a regulated article under our regulations governing the introduction of certain genetically engineered organisms. Our determination is based on our evaluation of data submitted by Syngenta Biotechnology, Inc., in its petition for a determination of nonregulated status, our analysis of other scientific data, and our response to comments received from the public on the petition for nonregulated status and its associated environmental assessment and plant pest risk assessment. This notice also announces the availability of our written determination of nonregulated status and finding of no significant impact.

In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, this notice announces the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service's intention to request an extension of approval of an information collection associated with regulations that provide for the payment of compensation to owners of commercial stone fruit orchards and fruit tree nurseries whose trees or nursery stock were destroyed to eradicate plum pox virus.

We are amending the regulations governing the importation of nursery stock to prohibit the importation of propagative seed of several Rutaceae (citrus family) genera from certain countries where citrus greening or citrus variegated chlorosis (CVC) is present. We are also requiring propagative seed of these genera imported from all other countries to be accompanied by a phytosanitary certificate with an additional declaration that neither citrus greening nor CVC are known to occur in the country where the seed was produced. Scientific evidence indicates that seed of certain genera of the family Rutaceae may be a pathway for the introduction of those diseases. This action is necessary in order to prevent the introduction or dissemination of citrus greening and CVC into or within the United States.

In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, this notice announces the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service's intention to request an extension of approval of an information collection associated with regulations for the importation of live poultry, poultry meat, and other poultry products from specified regions.

In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, this notice announces the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service's intention to revise an information collection associated with regulations to prevent the introduction of the H5N1 subtype of highly pathogenic avian influenza through imported birds, poultry, and unprocessed bird and poultry products and to request extension of approval of the information collection.

We are amending the list of regulated articles in our domestic fruit fly quarantine regulations. The regulations have indicated that smooth-skinned lemons (all varieties of Citrus limon) harvested for packing by commercial packinghouses are not regulated articles for Mediterranean fruit fly. We are amending the regulations to designate all yellow lemons as regulated articles. This change is based on research indicating that, under certain conditions, yellow lemons are a host for Mediterranean fruit fly. As a result of this action, yellow lemons in an area quarantined for Mediterranean fruit fly will be subject to certain interstate movement restrictions in order to prevent the spread of that pest into uninfested areas of the United States.

We are advising the public that the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service has prepared an evaluation of the pest risks associated with the importation of honey bees from Australia. The draft pest risk assessment considers potential pest risks involved in the importation of honeybees into the United States from Australia after concerns that exotic honey bee pathogens or parasites may have been introduced into Australia. We are making the draft pest risk assessment available to the public for review and comment.

We are proposing to amend the regulations that allow the importation of Fuji variety apples from Japan to allow all varieties of Malus domestica apples into the United States under the same conditions as those for Fuji variety apples. We have determined that the risk of introducing insects and diseases through the pathway of all varieties of M. domestica fresh apples to be very low under the mitigation measures presently in place for Fuji apples. This action would allow all varieties of M. domestica apples from Japan to be imported into the United States while continuing to protect against the introduction of quarantine pests.

We are adopting as a final rule, with changes, an interim rule that amended the regulations by establishing, under the auspices of the National Poultry Improvement Plan, a voluntary program for the control of the H5/H7 subtypes of low pathogenic avian influenza in commercial poultry. As amended by this document, the rule provides that the amount of indemnity for which contract growers are eligible will be reduced by any payment they have already received on their contracts when poultry in their care are destroyed, clarifies the roles of cooperating State agencies with respect to H5/H7 low pathogenic avian influenza outbreaks, provides that consistency with humane euthanasia guidelines will be considered when selecting a method for the destruction of poultry, and provides additional guidance for cleaning and disinfecting an affected premises. The control program and indemnity provisions established by the interim rule are necessary to help ensure that the H5/H7 subtypes of low pathogenic avian influenza are detected and eradicated when they occur within the United States.

In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, this notice announces the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service's intention to request an extension of approval of an information collection associated with regulations for the commercial transportation of equines to slaughtering facilities.

We are advising the public that we have prepared two pest risk analyses, one with respect to fresh figs and pomegranates grown in Chile and one with respect to fresh baby kiwi fruit grown in Chile. The analyses evaluate the risks associated with the importation into the continental United States of fresh figs, pomegranates, and baby kiwi fruit from Chile. Based on those analyses, 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 figs, pomegranates, and baby kiwi from Chile. We are making the pest risk analyses, as well as an environmental assessment we have prepared in connection with this action, available to the public for review and comment.

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 false coriander from Panama. Based on that 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 false coriander from Panama. We are making the pest risk analysis available to the public for review and comment.

We are amending the phytosanitary treatment regulations in 7 CFR part 305 by removing the lists of approved treatments and treatment schedules from the regulations, while retaining the general requirements for performing treatments and certifying or approving treatment facilities. We are removing treatment schedules from other places where they are currently found in 7 CFR chapter III as well. Approved treatment schedules will instead be found in the Plant Protection and Quarantine Treatment Manual, which is available on the Internet. We are also establishing a new process to provide the public with notice and the opportunity to comment on changes to treatment schedules. Finally, we are harmonizing and combining the requirements for performing irradiation treatment for imported articles, articles moved interstate from Hawaii and U.S. territories, and articles moved interstate from an area quarantined for fruit flies. These changes will simplify and expedite our processes for adding, changing, and removing treatment schedules while continuing to provide for public participation in the process. These changes will also simplify our presentation of treatments to the public by consolidating all treatments into one document and eliminating redundant text from the regulations.