[Federal Register: March 20, 2008 (Volume 73, Number 55)]
[Notices]
[Page 14956]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr20mr08-19]
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Notices
Federal Register
________________________________________________________________________
This section of the FEDERAL REGISTER contains documents other than rules
or proposed rules that are applicable to the public. Notices of hearings
and investigations, committee meetings, agency decisions and rulings,
delegations of authority, filing of petitions and applications and agency
statements of organization and functions are examples of documents
appearing in this section.
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[[Page 14956]]
DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service
[Docket No. APHIS-2007-0143]
Notice of Decision To Issue Permits for the Importation of
Dropwort Leaves With Stems from South Korea Into the Continental United
States
AGENCY: Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, USDA.
ACTION: Notice.
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SUMMARY: We are advising the public of our decision to begin issuing
permits for the importation of dropwort leaves with stems from South
Korea into the continental United States subject to the requirements
specified in the risk management analysis. Based on the findings of a
pest risk analysis, which we made available to the public for review
and comment through a previous notice, 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 dropwort leaves with stems from
South Korea.
Effective Date: March 20, 2008.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. Alex Belano, Import Specialist,
Commodity Import Analysis and Operations, Plant Health Programs, PPQ,
APHIS, 4700 River Road Unit 133, Riverdale, MD 20737-1231; (301) 734-
8758.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Under the regulations in ``Subpart--Fruits
and Vegetables'' (7 CFR 319.56 through 319.56-47, referred to below as
the regulations), the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service
(APHIS) of the U.S. Department of Agriculture 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 and spread within the United States.
Section 319.56-4 of the regulations contains a performance-based
process for approving the importation of commodities that, based on the
findings of a pest risk analysis, can be safely imported subject to one
or more of the designated phytosanitary measures listed in paragraph
(b) of that section. Under that process, APHIS publishes a notice in
the Federal Register announcing the availability of the pest risk
analysis that evaluates the risks associated with the importation of a
particular fruit or vegetable. Following the close of the 60-day
comment period, APHIS may begin issuing permits for importation of the
fruit or vegetable subject to the identified designated measures if:
(1) No comments were received on the pest risk analysis; (2) the
comments on the pest risk analysis revealed that no changes to the pest
risk analysis were necessary; or (3) changes to the pest risk analysis
were made in response to public comments, but the changes did not
affect the overall conclusions of the analysis and the Administrator's
determination of risk.
In accordance with that process, we published a notice \1\ in the
Federal Register on November 21, 2007 (72 FR 65560-65561, Docket No.
APHIS-2007-0143), in which we announced the availability, for review
and comment, of a pest risk analysis that evaluates the risks
associated with the importation into the continental United States of
dropwort leaves with stems from South Korea. We solicited comments on
the notice for 60 days ending on January 22, 2008. We received one
comment by that date, from a private citizen. The commenter stated that
food should be grown locally and not imported, and that the risks--
which the commenter did not specify--associated with imports generally
were too great. No changes to the pest risk analysis are necessary
based on that comment.
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\1\ To view the notice, the pest risk analysis, and the comment
we received, go to http://www.regulations.gov/fdmspublic/component/
main?main=DocketDetail&d=APHIS-2007-0143.
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Therefore, in accordance with the regulations in Sec. 319.56-
4(c)(2)(ii), we are announcing our decision to begin issuing permits
for the importation into the continental United States of dropwort
leaves with stems from South Korea subject to the following conditions:
The dropwort leaves with stems must be part of a
commercial consignment as defined in Sec. 319.56-2.
Each consignment of dropwort leaves with stems must be
accompanied by a phytosanitary certificate issued by the Korean
National Plant Protection Organization (NPPO) certifying that the
dropwort is a product of the Republic of Korea. The NPPO must also
include an additional declaration in the phytosanitary certificate that
states: ``The water dropwort (Oenanthe javanica) in this shipment was
inspected and considered free from Water Dropwort Witches' Broom and
Puccinia oenanthes-stoloniferae.''
These conditions will be listed in the fruits and vegetables manual
(available at http://www.aphis.usda.gov/import_export/plants/manuals/
ports/downloads/fv.pdf). In addition to these specific measures, the
dropwort stems with leaves will be subject to the general requirements
listed in Sec. 319.56-3 that are applicable to the importation of all
fruits and vegetables.
Done in Washington, DC, this 17th day of March 2008.
Kevin Shea,
Acting Administrator, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service.
[FR Doc. E8-5651 Filed 3-19-08; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3410-34-P