Regulatory Alert

To: APS U.S. Members

From: APS Public Policy Board

Subject: - EPA and APHIS Comments Requested

Date: October 16, 2003

EPA has announced that effective September 19, 2003 a regulation to establish tolerances for residues of cyprodinil in or on brassica, head and stem, subgroup 5A; brassica, leafy greens, subgroup 5B; carrot; herb, subgroup 19A, dried; herb, subgroup 19A, fresh; longan; lychee; pulasan; rambutan; spanish lime; and turnip, greens. Interregional Research Project Number 4 (IR-4) requested these tolerances under the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (FFDCA), as amended by the Food Quality Protection Act of 1996 (FQPA). Objections and requests for hearings, identified by docket ID number OPP-2003-0278, must be received on or before November 18, 2003. For complete information see: http://a257.g.akamaitech.net/7/257/2422/14mar20010800/edocket.access.gpo.gov/2003/03-23854.htm.

APHIS seeks an extension of approval of an information collection in support of regulations for the importation of fruits and vegetables and will consider all comments that received on or before December 5, 2003. Under the Plant Protection Act (7 U.S.C. 7701-7772), the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, among other things, is responsible for carrying out this mission. The regulations in "Subpart--Fruits and Vegetables" (7 CFR 319.56 through 319.56-8) prohibit or restrict the importation of fruits and vegetables into the United States from certain parts of the world to prevent the introduction and spread of plant pests that are new to or not widely distributed within the United States. Before entering the United States, certain fruits and vegetables from various foreign countries are subject to inspection and disinfection at their port of first arrival to ensure that no plant pests are inadvertently brought into the United States. These precautions, along with other requirements, ensure that these articles can be imported into the United States with minimal risk of introducing exotic plant pests. Complete information can be found at: http://a257.g.akamaitech.net/7/257/2422/14mar20010800/edocket.access.gpo.gov/2003/03-25254.htm.