USDA EXTENDS COMMENT PERIOD ON FUJI APPLE IMPORTS FROM KOREA

USDA EXTENDS COMMENT PERIOD ON FUJI APPLE IMPORTS FROM KOREA    The U.S. Department of Agriculture is extending the comment period to Oct. 23 on a proposal that would allow imports of Fuji apples from approved orchards in Korea.
   The proposal would allow the apples to be imported from certified orchards within approved production areas, without treatment, but under certain conditions designed to mitigate any pest risks.
   These conditions are designed to prevent the introduction of the peach fruit moth, the yellow peach moth, the fruit tree spider and the kanzawa mite.
   “We are extending the comment period at the request of several commenters who felt the public needed more time to review the proposal and submit their views and suggestions,” said Richard L. Dunkle, deputy administrator for plant protection and quarantine with the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Services (APHIS), a part of USDA's marketing and regulatory programs mission area.
   Related information on the proposal, including names of organizations and individuals who have commented, are available on the Internet at https://www.aphis.usda.gov/ppd/rad/webrepor.html .
   For more information, contact Dennis Hannapel, co-director of Asia and Pacific, phytosanitary issues management team for APHIS, at (301) 734-4308.