USDA CONSIDERS EASING LIMITS ON CERTAIN WHEAT IMPORTS

USDA CONSIDERS EASING LIMITS ON CERTAIN WHEAT IMPORTS    The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service will consider easing restrictions on wheat and related imports from regions known to have flag smut.
   Flag smut is found in numerous countries, such as China, Australia, Chile, Israel, Italy, Japan, South Africa and South Korea.
   U.S. regulations are designed to prevent the spread of flag smut from overseas sources. “We are considering easing restrictions on the importation of wheat and related articles from these countries and localities based on a recent risk assessment,” APHIS said.
   The risk assessment can be found on line at https://www.aphis.usda.gov/ppq/pra.
   Flag smut has only been found in two counties in the U.S. Pacific Northwest. It used to be a significant disease of wheat in the United States during the 1930s.
   APHIS said it would amend its regulations so that they are no more stringent than they are for domestic movements of wheat. The United States must consider its obligations under the World Trade Organization Agreement on Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures and the International Plant Protection Convention. “However, simply removing the prohibitions related to flag smut could present a plant pest risk,” the agency said.
   APHIS will take comments from the industry through April 8. For more information, contact Wayne Burnett, senior import specialist for APHIS, at (301) 734-6799.