USDA moves to stop importation of 148 plant taxa
16 Aug, 2011 Get GrowingWith the publication today of a final rule in May that went into effect June 27, the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) changed the way it regulates imports of nursery stock into the United States, also known as the Agency's Q37 regulations.
"Protecting the nation's food, agriculture and natural resources is one of the Secretary's top priorities," said Rebecca Bech, deputy administrator of APHIS' plant protection and quarantine program. "These regulatory changes, crafted with input from our stakeholder partners at the state and local levels, reflect this commitment and allow our agency to better prevent the introduction and spread of foreign pests and diseases."
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. The agency, however, did 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 fruits and vegetables is prohibited until the completion of such an analysis.
Because "plants for planting," as the agency terms landscape and nursery plants, can carry a variety of pests that could become established in the United States, and because the volume of plants being imported into the United States has continued to increase in recent years, APHIS determined the agency needed to update its regulations to better prevent the introduction and establishment of plant pests.
Now the USDA has issued a notice that lists 41 taxa of plants for planting that are quarantine pests under the new rules and 107 taxa of plants for planting are hosts of 13 quarantine pests. It is moving to add them to its lists of plants whose importation is not authorized pending pest risk analysis (NAPPRA).
NAPPRA 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 United States, 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 United States.
APHIS is requesting public comment on the NAPPRA list. Comments will be accepted until Sept. 26, 2011.
The official notice can be read here. The list of plants being considered for quarantine can be downlaoded here.
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