USDA may stop targeting certain pests in imports

   The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service is considering which pests actually pose a risk to the country’s agriculture sector when found in imported goods at ports of entry.
   “We have determined that it is no longer appropriate or necessary to take such action on some plant pests,” the agency said.
   “For example, a bacterium could cause disease in a plant, but also could have become widespread in the United States, making any future control efforts ineffective and a waste of limited resources,” the agency explained. “We may lack effective control methods for an insect pest that is present in the United States, which would result in taking action that will likely not prevent the pest from causing damage but will continue to expend limited resources.”
   As of September, APHIS has determined that 71 pests “on which we had been taking action at ports of entry to address their risk no longer qualify under the PPA (Plant Protection Act) as requiring such action.”
   For details, access the Federal Register notice.