USDA's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service is revising some web links related to phytosanitary treatment and quarantine import regulations so that the regulations reflect APHIS' relocation of import and treatment requirements for agricultural commodities to the Agricultural Commodity Import Requirements (ACIR) online database. The revision is effective Oct. 1, APHIS said in a notice.

USDA's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service is allowing the importation of fresh table beet root (Beta vulgaris L.) for consumption from the U.K., it said. APHIS will allow fresh table beet root imports effective Sept. 27, it said in a notice. "Based on findings of a pest risk analysis, which we made available to the public for review and comment through a previous notice, we have determined 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 fresh table beet root from the United Kingdom," APHIS said.

USDA's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service is making changes to its list of Harmonized Tariff Schedule codes the agency plans to implement Phase VII of the Lacey Act provisions.

The Agricultural Marketing Service is proposing to amend its requirements for imported Beta avocados to move up by two weeks the earliest date that Beta avocados may be marketed, it said in a notice released Sept. 19. The change also applies to avocados grown in South Florida. AMS said a study it conducted found Beta avocados are maturing earlier due to “climate conditions and cultural practices.” The change doesn’t apply to Hass, Fuerte, Zutano and Edranol varieties of avocados, which are currently exempt from the maturity requirements for avocados but are still subject to AMS grade regulations, unchanged by this proposed rule. Comments are due Nov. 19.

The Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) issued a direct final rule that amends the Cotton Board Rules and Regulations by decreasing the value assigned to imported cotton for the purposes of calculating supplemental assessments collected for use by the Cotton Research and Promotion Program.

USDA's Food Safety and Inspection Service is seeking comments on the updates it has made on documentation guidelines related to animal-raising or environmental-related claims on meat or poultry product raising. FSIS says the updated guideline "includes changes made in response to updated scientific information, FSIS sampling data, askFSIS questions, public comments, petitions, and other meetings with Agency stakeholders." The agency is accepting comments through Nov. 12.

USDA and the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative are accepting applications for new members to sit on agricultural trade advisory committees, the agencies said this week. Applications are being accepted for six Agricultural Technical Advisory Committees -- covering animals, fruits and vegetables, grains and more -- as well as the Agricultural Policy Advisory Committee, which advises the administration on the implementation and enforcement of trade agreements and trade policy. Members serve four-year terms without compensation. Applications are due by 5 p.m. EDT Sept. 20.

USDA is revising the appendices to its Dairy Tariff-Rate Quota Import Licensing Regulation for the 2024 tariff-rate quota year, it said in a notice. The agency is transferring the amounts for certain dairy articles from the historical license category (Appendix 1) to the lottery (nonhistorical) license category (Appendix 2) pursuant to the Dairy Tariff-Rate Quota Import Licensing regulations for the 2024 quota year.

The USDA Foreign Agricultural Service will charge $325 for the 2025 tariff-rate quota year for each license issued to a person or firm by the USDA authorizing the importation of certain dairy articles that are subject to TRQs set forth in the Harmonized Tariff Schedule, it said in a notice. The new fee is $50 lower than the fee charged for 2024 TRQ year licenses (see 2308300040).

The Agricultural Marketing Service renewed the status of 47 substances on its National List of Allowed and Prohibited Substances for use in organic crop production and foods labeled as organic, it said in a notice released Aug. 7. As a result, these substances will retain their current status -- either allowed or prohibited in organic production, depending on the substance – until 2030, AMS said. See the notice for the full list.