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Melissa O’Dell (301) 734-5222 USDA EXTENDS COMMENT PERIOD ON PROPOSAL TO RELIEVE CERTAIN RESTRICTIONS ON THE MOVEMENT OF HASS AVOCADOS WASHINGTON, June 11, 2008--The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) is reopening the comment period on the proposed rule to eliminate Anastrepha spp. fruit fly trapping requirements for Hass avocados imported from Mexico. This rule also would allow Hass avocados to move interstate, under certain conditions, from areas in the United States that are quarantined for Mexican and sapote fruit flies. Based on these findings, APHIS proposes to remove the current trapping and bait spray requirements for Hass avocados from Mexico, because the restrictions are no longer necessary to safely import these products into the United States. However, APHIS still would require Mexican Hass avocados to meet post-harvest safeguarding and other existing import requirements prior to entry into the United States. This proposal would harmonize the domestic and foreign requirements for moving Hass avocados and would relieve unnecessary restrictions for avocado producers. In addition, it would provide an alternative for Hass avocados to be moved interstate if they originate in a Mexican fruit fly or sapote fruit fly quarantined area of the United States. This action will be published in the June 12 Federal Register. Comments are posted on the Reglations.gov Web site and also can be reviewed at USDA, Room 1141, South Building, 14th St. and Independence Ave., S.W., Washington, D.C., between 8 a.m. and 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday, excluding holidays. To facilitate entry into the comment reading room, please call (202) 690-2817. # Note to Reporters: USDA news releases, program announcements and media advisories are available on the Internet. Go to the APHIS news release page at http://www.aphis.usda.gov/newsroom. Also, anyone with an e-mail address can sign up to receive APHIS press releases automatically. Send an e-mail message to lyris@mdrdlyriss10.aphis.usda.gov and leave the subject blank. In the message, type
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