USDA will issue permits for Guatemalan blueberry shipments
The U.S. Department of Agriculture's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service said it would start issuing permits for the import of Guatemalan blueberry shipments into the United States.
'Based on the findings of a pest risk analysis, which we made available to the public for review and comment through a previous notice, we believe that the application of one or more designated phytosanitary measures will be sufficient to mitigate the risks of introducing or disseminating plant pests or noxious weeds via the importation of blueberries from Guatemala,' the USDA said in a May 1 Federal Register notice.
Each shipment of blueberries must be cold treated against fruit flies and be accompanied by a phytosanitary certificate issued by Guatemala's national plant protection organization. Each shipment is subject to inspection upon arrival in the United States, the USDA said.