APHIS Final Rule Allows Import of Tomatoes from Certain Central American Countries Under Certain Conditions
The Animal and Plant Inspection Service (APHIS) has issued a final rule, effective August 28, 2006, amending 7 CFR Part 319 to allow pink and red tomatoes grown in approved registered production sites in Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, and Panama to be imported into the U.S. under certain conditions.
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APHIS believes this final rule will continue to provide protection against the introduction of quarantine pests into the U.S.
Conditions for Importing Tomatoes from Certain Central American Countries
- CFR 319.56-2dd contains administrative instructions allowing the importation of tomatoes from various countries where the Mediterranean fruit fly (Ceratitis capitata, Medfly) is present. In this final rule, APHIS amends that section by adding a new paragraph (f) that sets forth administrative instructions concerning the importation of pink and red tomatoes from Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, and Panama.
Highlights from new paragraph (f) include (partial list):
Pre-Harvest inspection. The tomatoes must be grown in approved registered production sites. Initial approval of the production sites will be completed jointly by the exporting country's national plant protection organization (NPPO) and APHIS. The NPPO must visit and inspect the production sites monthly starting 2 months before harvest and continuing through until the end of the shipping season. APHIS may monitor the production sites at any time during this period.
Greenhouses. Tomato production sites must consist of pest-exclusionary greenhouses, which must have self-closing double doors and have all other openings and vents covered with 1.6 (or less) mm screening.
Trapping. Among other things, traps with an approved protein bait for Medfly must be placed inside the greenhouses at a density of four traps per hectare, with a minimum of two traps per greenhouse, which must be serviced on a weekly basis. Registered sites are also required to contain traps around the production site.
Packing. The tomatoes must be packed within 24 hours of harvest in a pest-exclusionary packinghouse and safeguarded by an insect-proof mesh screen or plastic tarpaulin while in transit to the packinghouse, while awaiting packing, and/or in an insect-proof carton or container for transit into the U.S.
Phytosanitary certificate. Each shipment must be accompanied by a phytosanitary certificate issued by the exporting country's NPPO and must bear certain declarations. The shipping box must be labeled with the identity of the production site.
See APHIS' final rule for its response to comments received in connection with the proposed version of this rule.
(See ITT's Online Archives or 02/17/06 news, 06021799 1, for BP summary of the proposed rule.)
APHIS Contact - Donna West (301) 734-8758
APHIS Final Rule (D/N APHIS-2006-0009), FR Pub 08/28/06, available at http://a257.g.akamaitech.net/7/257/2422/01jan20061800/edocket.access.gpo.gov/2006/pdf/E6-14219.pdf