USDA considers Turkish pomegranate imports

Following extensive testing for potential pests, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service has proposed a rule to allow the import of fresh pomegranate from Turkey into the continental United States, including Alaska.    The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) has proposed a rule to allow the import of fresh pomegranate from Turkey into the continental United States, including Alaska.
   “After completing a comprehensive pest risk analysis, APHIS has determined that pomegranates produced in Turkey can be safely imported into the continental United States under a systems approach,” the agency said in a statement.
   The USDA’s systems approach requires various safeguards to be applied across the fruit’s production to reduce pest risks. These safeguards include registration and monitoring of production and packinghouses; pest-free production; grove sanitation, monitoring, and pest control practices; fruit disinfection, chemical and cold treatments; lot identification and traceability to production sites; and inspection for quarantine pests by the Turkish national plant protection organization.
   Additionally, pomegranates from Turkey would have to be packed within 24 hours of harvest into “pest-proof” containers, or covered for transport to the United States. All shipments would require a phytosanitary certificate with an additional declaration stating the fruit has been inspected and found to be pest free, APHIS said.
   APHIS will consider industry comments on this proposed rule that are submitted by Aug. 21.