Effective immediately, USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) will resume importations of pomegranate arils from Peru into the United States. These imports must meet the requirements of Federal Order (DA-2018-19) and the operational workplan signed by APHIS and the national plant protection organization (NPPO) of Peru. APHIS suspended imports of pomegranate arils from Peru in June 2018 based on port-of-entry detections of Mediterranean fruit fly (Ceratitis capitata, Medfly).
Under the terms of the Federal Order and operational workplan, pomegranate arils from Peru are subject to the following import requirements:
· Orchard and packinghouse registration with the NPPO,
· Medfly trapping,
· Packinghouse inspections,
· Lot identification to ensure commodity traceback,
· Phytosanitary inspection by the NPPO and issuance of a phytosanitary certificate with an additional declaration, and
· Inspection upon arrival in the United States.
APHIS’ Fruit and Vegetable Import Requirement (FAVIR) database has been updated to reflect these requirements.
