APHIS Publishes Final Rule to Restructure its Plants for Planting Import Regulations

Washington, D.C., March 19, 2018. The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) is restructuring its regulations for importing plants for planting. Specifically, APHIS will consolidate general requirements for importing plants for planting in one place in the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR). In addition, APHIS will post import restrictions for specific types of plants for planting in the Plants for Planting Manual, instead of codifying them in the CFR, and notify the public of changes through the Federal Register. APHIS believes these changes will make it easier for all stakeholders to find and understand plants for planting import requirements and restrictions. 

Other changes include: adding most of the currently prohibited plants to the Not Authorized Pending Pest Risk Analysis list; moving lists of approved growing media, packing materials, and ports of entry, and other approved items to the Plants for Planting Manual; adopting a notice-based process for making changes to the plants for planting import restrictions that will be listed in the Plants for Planting Manual; establishing a framework for using integrated pest risk management measures; and, adding post-entry quarantine requirements to the Plants for Planting Manual.

The rule becomes effective on April 18, 2018, thirty days after publication in the Federal Register. APHIS will post the updated Plants for Planting Manual on its web site on April 18, 2018 to coincide with the effective date of the rule.