North American Fruit Explorers mailing list at ibiblio

["Lon J. Rombough" <lonrom@hevanet.com>]

USDA revises Quarantine 37 regulations
Legislation
http://www.greenhousemanagementonline.com/usda-revises-quarantine-37- 
regulations.aspx?List_id=8&email=lonrom%40hevanet.com&key=
New category established in regulations governing nursery stock  
importation
David KuackMay 30, 2011

USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service is changing the way  
it regulates imports of nursery stock into the U.S., also known as  
APHIS’ Quarantine 37 regulations. The previous regulations categorized  
imported plants as either prohibited (not allowed) or restricted  
(allowed under certain conditions). APHIS required restricted imports  
to be inspected, either in the country of origin or at the first port  
of entry, and be accompanied by a phytosanitary certificate issued by  
the government of the exporting country.
 APHIS does not require a pest risk analysis prior to the importation  
of a new taxonomic group of plants. This differs from APHIS’ fruits and  
vegetables regulations, where the importation of produce is prohibited  
until the completion of such an analysis.
 Plants for planting can carry a wide variety of pests that are more  
likely to become established in the U.S. than pests that could enter  
through imported fruits or vegetables. The volume of plants being  
imported into the U.S. has continued to increase in recent years, as  
has the body of scientific information regarding emerging plant pests  
of concern. As a result, APHIS determined it needed to update its  
regulations in order to better prevent the introduction and  
establishment of plant pests in the U.S.
 This regulatory change establishes a new import category for plants  
whose importation is “not authorized pending pest risk analysis,” also  
known as NAPPRA. Under the new rules, APHIS will publish a list of  
plants that it considers to be quarantine pests or hosts of quarantine  
pests. Such plants will not be allowed to be imported until APHIS has  
completed a pest risk analysis. A “quarantine pest” is defined as a  
plant pest or noxious weed that is of potential economic importance and  
not yet present in the U.S., or present but not widely distributed and  
under official control. The new regulations authorize APHIS to add taxa  
of plants for planting to the NAPPRA category based on scientific  
evidence that indicates that their importation poses a risk of  
introducing a quarantine pest into the U.S.
 APHIS will request public comment through a public notice before  
adding any plants to the new NAPPRA category. The NAPPRA lists will be  
posted online.
 Any person can request that APHIS conduct a pest risk analysis on any  
plant taxon listed in the NAPPRA category. After completing the  
analysis, APHIS will initiate rulemaking either to allow the  
importation of the taxon subject to restrictions, or, if the risk  
associated with the importation of the taxon cannot be feasibly  
mitigated, to prohibit its importation.
 This action is published in the May 27, 2011, Federal Register (7 CFR  
Part 319) and becomes effective June 27, 2011.