The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) issued an April 24th message to stakeholders, reminding holders of PPQ 546 permits (post entry quarantine permits; PEQ), that the permits will soon expire and that permit holders need to prepare to change the way they import some plants. Since the 2013 publication of the Not Authorized Pending Pest Risk Analysis (NAPPRA) Round 1 list and the Controlled Import Permit (CIP) rules, the following changes are in effect:
- Some taxa that were previously imported and grown under a PEQ permit are no longer authorized. To find out which plants are affected, please refer to the NAPPRA list.
- The correct application form for requesting an import of NAPPRA plant taxa is a PPQ 588 permit application. For further information refer to the Controlled Import Permits Web site.
- If you plan to grow imported NAPPRA plants please provide a minimum of 3 months to process the PPQ 588 permit application.
- Your facility and growing site will need to have sufficient containment measures in place to grow the imported plant material and may be inspected by PPQ officers before the permit is issued.
- A qualified plant pathologist may be required to routinely monitor the plants during the quarantine growing period.
For more specific information on the import restrictions for Plants for Planting refer to the Plants for Planting Manual. Additional information on NAPPRA can be found here, and further information concerning Controlled Import Permits can be found here.
For further guidance please call USDA/APHIS customer support at (877) 770-5990 or e-mail plantproducts.permits@aphis.usda.gov.
Questions about this regulatory update may be directed to Livingston’s U.S. Regulatory Affairs group.