USDA finds Guatemalan blueberry imports safe

USDA finds Guatemalan blueberry imports safe The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service found, based on its recent analysis and under the required pest treatments, that Guatemalan blueberry are safe to import into the United States.
   If approved for import, the blueberries would have to be part of a commercial shipment and undergo cold treatment in accordance with USDA regulations. The fruit also would need to be accompanied by a phytosanitary certificate issued by the Guatemalan national plant protection organization and would be subject to inspection at the port of entry.
   The approval is part of USDA’s new streamlined process for importing certain fruits and vegetables, known as Quarantine 56 (Q56).
   “While the new process continues to provide stringent protections for U.S. agriculture, it employs notices rather than lengthier rulemaking to solicit public involvement in the approval process,” the USDA said. “It is a less time-consuming approach that allows USDA plant health specialists to focus on more complex domestic and import issues.”
   For more details, access https://a257.g.akamaitech.net/7/257/2422/01jan20081800/edocket.access.gpo.gov/2008/E8-2263.htm.