Each year, the United States imports more than 1 billion plant cuttings, and nearly half of all plants sold in U.S. retail stores start from cuttings produced offshore. Given the high volume of these imports and their associated pest risks, USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) has been working with the U.S. nursery industry to develop an offshore greenhouse certification program to mitigate potential pest risks before they reach our shores.
Beginning in October 2017, APHIS will conduct a 6-month greenhouse certification pilot. The pilot will include greenhouse facilities in Mexico, Guatemala, Nicaragua, El Salvador, Costa Rica, and Colombia that produce generally admissible, unrooted vegetative cuttings for import into the United States. The purpose of the pilot is to determine whether greenhouse certification could effectively mitigate pest and disease risks associated with plant cuttings produced in offshore facilities.
APHIS will inspect and certify participating facilities this summer. For the duration of the pilot, facilities must adhere to the requirements outlined in the pilot framework. The pilot framework includes standard plant pest exclusion procedures, sanitation and traceability protocols, a summary of the greenhouse certification process, an explanation of how shipments will be handled at U.S. ports of entry, and next steps after the pilot’s conclusion in March 2018.
View the Offshore Greenhouse Certification Program Pilot Framework.
APHIS is sharing this document to determine whether stakeholders have information that might lead us to revise the framework before we start the pilot. The document will be available for review and comment for 30 days. To submit comments or obtain additional information, please send an email to Kelsey Branch, APHIS Foreign Inspection and Certification Coordinator, at Kelsey.Branch@aphis.usda.gov.
Source: USDA APHIS
