Importation of Eggplant From Israel

Document Headings Document headings vary by document type but may contain the following: the agency or agencies that issued and signed a document the number of the CFR title and the number of each part the document amends, proposes to amend, or is directly related to the agency docket number / agency internal file number the RIN which identifies each regulatory action listed in the Unified Agenda of Federal Regulatory and Deregulatory Actions See the Document Drafting Handbook for more details. Department of Agriculture Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service 7 CFR Part 319 [Docket No. APHIS-2007-0153] RIN 0579-AC88 AGENCY: Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, USDA. ACTION: Final rule. SUMMARY: We are amending the fruits and vegetables regulations to allow the importation into the continental United States of commercial consignments of fresh eggplant from Israel. As a condition of entry, the eggplant must be grown under a systems approach that includes requirements for pest exclusion at the production site, fruit fly trapping inside and outside the production site, and pest-excluding packinghouse procedures. The eggplant must be accompanied by a phytosanitary certificate issued by the Israeli national plant protection organization with an additional declaration confirming that the eggplants have been produced in accordance with those requirements. This action will allow for the importation of commercial consignments of fresh eggplant from Israel into the United States while continuing to provide protection against the introduction of quarantine pests. DATES: Effective Date: July 6, 2009. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ms. Donna L. West, Senior Import Specialist, Regulatory Coordination and Compliance, PPQ, APHIS, 4700 River Road Unit 133, Riverdale, MD 20737-1231; (301) 734-0627. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Background The regulations in “Subpart—Fruits and Vegetables” ( 7 CFR 319.56-1 through 319.56-48 , referred to below as the regulati…