The Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service is proposing to loosen restrictions on importation of sand pears from Japan, it said in a notice. While APHIS currently only allows importation of sand pears from a few Japanese prefectures, the agency is now proposing to allow imports from all of Japan, except for Amami, Bonin, Ryukyu, Tokara, and Volcano Islands. APHIS would also eliminate a requirement for an additional declaration on phytosanitary certificates that the sand pears have been inspected and found free of certain pests. Comments are due Nov. 22.

The Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service is adding Hong Kong, Laos and North Korea to its list of regions subject to import restrictions on pork and pork products because they are affected by African swine fever, it said. Restrictions take effect retroactively to July 15, 2019, for Hong Kong, to July 5, 2019, for Laos, and to June 5, 2019, for North Korea.

The Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service is proposing to eliminate restrictions on imports of pine shoot beetle host materials from Canada, including cut pine Christmas trees and other articles containing pine bark. The agency’s proposed rule would remove quarantine requirements for domestic interstate transport of pine shoot beetle hosts, rendering the regulations covering imports from Canada obsolete, APHIS said. Current regulations under 7 CFR 319.40-5(m) that are set for elimination under this proposal require that imports from Canada be accompanied by statements and certificates showing the origin of regulated articles and the places through which they were moved, as well as fumigation requirements in some circumstances. Comments are due Nov. 22.

The Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service will allow imports of fresh cape gooseberry fruit from Ecuador, it said in a final rule. Shipments must come from pest-free places of production and be put in labeled boxes prior to shipping. Fresh cape gooseberry fruit that does not meet these conditions may still be imported but are subject to treatment. The final rule takes effect Sept. 19.

The Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service is proposing to find Romania to be free of highly pathogenic avian influenza and Newcastle disease. The change in disease status would eliminate certain requirements for importation of carcasses, meat, parts or products of carcasses, and eggs (other than hatching eggs) of poultry, game birds or other birds from Romania. Comments are due Nov. 15.

The Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service recently issued a federal order prohibiting imports of tomatoes and certain plants to prevent introduction of the tomato leaf miner. The update to a federal order issued in 2014 now includes Haiti on the list of countries that is infested tomato leaf miner but can still export tomato fruits to the U.S. if they are able to meet certain import requirements. The revised federal order also adds the following countries to the list of countries infested with tomato leaf miner and prohibited from exporting to the U.S. propagative materials from Datura spp. and Salpichroa spp., and synonyms, except seeds, bringing the total to 109 countries: Afghanistan; Bangladesh; Bosnia and Herzegovina; Botswana; Croatia; Georgia; Guernsey; Haiti; India; Kyrgyzstan; Mayotte; Montenegro; Mozambique; Namibia; Nepal; Norway; Rwanda; Serbia; South Africa; Tajikistan; Tanzania; Uganda; Uzbekistan; Zambia; and Zimbabwe. The revised federal order took effect Aug. 16.

The Agricultural Marketing Service is issuing a final rule that formally brings regulations previously administered by the Grain Inspection, Packers and Stockyards Administration (GIPSA) under the authority of AMS. The changes are necessary as a result of a November 2018 directive from the Secretary of Agriculture that eliminated GIPSA as a stand-alone agency and delegated its authorities to AMS. “This action is necessary to enable the AMS Administrator to issue, maintain, and revise as necessary regulations related to programs under the AMS Administrator’s delegated authority,” the final rule said.

The Agricultural Marketing Service is proposing to lower its fees for rice inspection services, it said in a notice. The proposed rule would decrease fees across the board by 20 percent for fiscal year 2020, and again by 20 percent for FY21. Export port services would fall to $0.059 per hundredweight in the first year, and to $0.047 in the second. AMS is also proposing to set new formulas for annually updating its fees for rice inspection services. The fees have not been updated since 2010, AMS said.

The Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service is adding Cambodia and Vietnam to its list of regions subject to import restrictions on pork and pork products because they are affected by African swine fever, it said. Restrictions take effect retroactively to April 4, 2019, for Cambodia, and to Feb. 18, 2019, for Vietnam.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture revised the appendices to its Dairy Tariff-Rate Import Quota Licensing Regulation for the 2019 tariff-rate quota year, in a notice. USDA is making the changes to reflect the cumulative annual transfers from Appendix 1 to Appendix 2 for certain dairy product import licenses permanently surrendered by licensees or revoked by the Foreign Agricultural Service.