The Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service is moving toward allowing imports of jujube fruit from China. The agency issued a draft pest risk analysis that recommended imports of jujube be allowed, with certain conditions including an import permit, phytosanitary certificate from the Chinese government, registration of production locations and packinghouses, and port of entry inspections, among other things. Comments on the draft pest risk analysis are due May 24.
The Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service is proposing minor revisions to its regulations on importation of live dogs, in a broader proposed rule amending Animal Welfare Act licensing provisions in general. The agency would clarify language in its dog import licensing and certification regulations to clarify that dogs intended for resale for research purposes, or dogs intended for resale following veterinary treatment, must be imported with an import permit and accompanying certifications. APHIS would also replace references to the “continental United States or Hawaii” with the word “States,” which is defined elsewhere as “a State of the United States, the District of Columbia, Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, Guam, American Samoa, or any other territory or possession of the United States.” That’s intended to clarify that no import permit is required when transporting dogs within the U.S., APHIS said. Comments are due May 21.
The Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service has preliminarily found the state of Baja California, Mexico, free of fever ticks, and also preliminarily found Singapore free from foot-and-mouth disease. If it confirms these findings, certain restrictions on importation of ruminants from Baja California and on live ruminants and swine from Singapore may be lifted. Comments on each evaluation are due May 20.
The Department of Agriculture's Commodity Credit Corporation on March 14 announced that Special Import Quota #21 for upland cotton will be established on March 21, allowing importation of 12,665,348 kilograms (58,171 bales) of upland cotton, an increase from the 12,619,815 kilograms (57,962 bales) allowed in the last quota period. It will apply to upland cotton purchased not later than June 18, 2019, and entered into the U.S. by Sept. 16, 2019. The quota is equivalent to one week's consumption of cotton by domestic mills at the seasonally adjusted average rate for the period November 2018 through January 2018, the most recent three months for which data is available.
The Department of Agriculture's Commodity Credit Corporation on March 7 announced that Special Import Quota #20 for upland cotton will be established on March 14, allowing importation of 12,619,815 kilograms (57,962 bales) of upland cotton, unchanged from the last quota period. It will apply to upland cotton purchased not later than June 11, 2019, and entered into the U.S. by Sept. 9, 2019. The quota is equivalent to one week's consumption of cotton by domestic mills at the seasonally adjusted average rate for the period October 2018 through December 2018, the most recent three months for which data is available.
The Agricultural Marketing Service is holding a vote on whether to continue the national Christmas tree promotion order and its associated assessments on importers, it said. Only importers and domestic producers of more than 500 trees during the period Sept. 1, 2018, through March 15, 2019, are eligible to vote in the referendum. Under the promotion order, which took effect in 2014 (see 14040418), importers above that threshold must pay an assessment of $0.15 per tree on imports of Christmas trees. The fees fund efforts to develop new markets, strengthen existing markets and conduct research and promotion activities. The referendum will be conducted by mailed ballot beginning April 22, with votes due no later than May 17.
The Department of Agriculture's Commodity Credit Corporation on Feb. 28 announced that Special Import Quota #19 for upland cotton will be established on March 7, allowing importation of 12,619,815 kilograms (57,962 bales) of upland cotton, unchanged from the last quota period. It will apply to upland cotton purchased not later than June 4, 2019, and entered into the U.S. by Sept. 2, 2019. The quota is equivalent to one week's consumption of cotton by domestic mills at the seasonally adjusted average rate for the period October 2018 through December 2018, the most recent three months for which data is available.
The Department of Agriculture's Commodity Credit Corporation on Feb. 21 announced that Special Import Quota #18 for upland cotton will be established on Feb. 28, allowing importation of 12,619,815 kilograms (57,962 bales) of upland cotton, unchanged from the last quota period. It will apply to upland cotton purchased not later than May 28, 2019, and entered into the U.S. by Aug. 26, 2019. The quota is equivalent to one week's consumption of cotton by domestic mills at the seasonally adjusted average rate for the period October 2018 through December 2018, the most recent three months for which data is available.
The Agricultural Marketing Service issued a final rule to include frozen mangoes as a commodity covered under the mango national research and promotion program, which previously applied only to fresh mangoes. Under the final rule, which takes effect March 25, AMS will assess a fee of $0.01 per pound on imports of frozen mangoes. Imports of less than 200,000 pounds of frozen mangoes per year will be exempt from assessments. AMS issued a separate notice announcing a referendum, to be conducted March 25 through April 12, that will allow importers of fresh and frozen mangoes covered by the promotion order to vote on whether to continue including frozen mangoes in the program.
The Agricultural Marketing Service is ending collection of a 1 cent per pound assessment on importers and producers of processed raspberries, it said in a final rule. Eligible importers and producers voted in a referendum that ended in October to terminate the associated promotion, research and information order on processed raspberries (see 1807290006), AMS said. “The remaining provisions of the Order and regulations issued thereunder will [be] terminated at a later date,” it said. The rule is effective Feb. 21.