Importation of Fresh Apricots From Continental Spain

摘要

We are proposing to amend the fruits and vegetables regulations to allow the importation into the United States of fresh apricots from continental Spain. As a condition of entry, fresh apricots from continental Spain would have to be produced in accordance with a systems approach that would include registration of production locations and packinghouses, pest monitoring, sanitary practices, chemical and biological controls, and phytosanitary treatment. The fruit would also have to be imported in commercial consignments, with each consignment identified throughout its movement from place of production to port of entry in the United States. Consignments would have to be accompanied by a phytosanitary certificate issued by the national plant protection organization of Spain certifying that the fruit is free from all quarantine pests and has been produced in accordance with the systems approach. This proposed rule would allow for the importation of fresh apricots from continental Spain into the United States while continuing to provide protection against the introduction of quarantine pests.