IMMEDIATE UPDATE: ACIR Database--12/29/2022

This notice is to alert you to changes in the Agricultural Commodity Import Requirements (ACIR) database.

PLEASE NOTE: the following changes will be reflected and available to print in eFile by close of business tomorrow.

Effective December 29, 2022, the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) is suspending the importation of Bell Pepper (Capsicum annuum) fruit from Spain into the United States to prevent the introduction of the Mediterranean fruit fly (Medfly) (Ceratitis capitata). APHIS is also prohibiting overland in-bond transit movement of these materials south of 39° latitude and west of 104° longitude. (Federal Order DA-2022-42). 

Other Capsicum species (Capsicum baccatum, L. var. baccatum, Capsicum chinense, and Capsicum frutescens) are still admissible from Spain into the United States and are not affected by this Federal Order except as follows: APHIS requires the phytosanitary certificate accompanying each consignment of fresh pepper for consumption from Spain to include genus and species of the pepper in the consignment; listing the genus name only is not acceptable. APHIS is taking this action in response to a Medfly detection during Customs and Border Protection (CBP) inspections of a commercial consignment of peppers from Spain at JFK port.

The above change impacts:

• Pepper, Bell (Fruit) from Spain into All Ports

Amy L. Frevert
USDA-APHIS-PPQ-IRM-ISMU
Team Leader/Technical Writer
amy.l.frevert@usda.gov