The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) has determined that commercial consignments of fresh pomegranate fruit (Punica granatum) can be safely imported into the continental United States from Peru with safeguards in place to prevent the introduction of spread of plant pests. APHIS scientists have assessed the pest risks and determined the phytosanitary measures that will mitigate plant pests and made them available for comment in a previous notice issued for public comment on March 14, 2016.
These mitigation measures have been determined to sufficiently protect the United States from the entry of high risk pests. The safeguards include the requirements that commercial consignments of fresh pomegranate fruit will be inspected in Peru prior to shipment, the shipments will be irradiated for South American and Mediterranean fruit fly upon arrival into the United States, and the shipments will be accompanied by a phytosanitary certificate from the national plant protection organization (NPPO) of Peru and inspected upon arrival in the United States.
This action will be effective on August 10, 2016.
Source: USDA APHIS
