APHIS Revises Federal Order Requiring Notification for Phytophthora ramorum high-risk hosts

FOR INFORMATION AND ACTION

DA-2012-53

December 10, 2012

 

SUBJECT: APHIS Revises Federal Order Requiring Notification for Phytophthora ramorum high-risk hosts

 

TO: STATE AND TERRITORY AGRICULTURAL REGULATORY OFFICIALS

 

Effective immediately, the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) is amending two Federal Orders, dated January 28, 2011 (DA-2011-04) and February 25, 2011 (DA-2011-10) requiring advance notification for certain shipments of P. ramorum high-risk host nursery stock.

 

The attached Federal Order, which supersedes all previous Federal Orders on P. ramorum notification, removes notification requirements for nurseries in counties within regulated areas that have never tested positive for P. ramorum or have tested negative for the past three years.

 

Effective immediately, interstate shipments of Camellia, Kalmia, Pieris, Rhododendron (including Azalea), and Viburnum nursery stock (defined in the regulations as high-risk) from all quarantine areas must continue to provide written notification to non-regulated states. The nurseries located in the following quarantined counties of California and Oregon will be affected by this requirement:

 

• California: Alameda, Contra Costa, Humboldt, Lake, Marin, Mendocino, Monterey, Napa, San Francisco, San Mateo, Santa Clara, Santa Cruz, Solano, and Sonoma counties

• Oregon: Curry County

 

However, only previously (since 2010) or newly positive nurseries in the regulated areas of California, Oregon, and Washington shipping any species of Camellia, Kalmia, Pieris, Rhododendron (including Azalea), and Viburnum to non-regulated states will be required to notify. Rather than requiring notifications for all nurseries located in a regulated county, the amended Federal Order will instead focus on specific nurseries within regulated counties that are currently positive for P. ramorum or have tested positive for P. ramorum over the last 3 years (since 2010). In addition, if P. ramorum is detected in the future for example, during nursery certification surveys or surveys resulting from trace investigations, these nurseries will also be required to provide notifications. Therefore, nurseries located in a regulated county that have never detected P. ramorum on their premises or have tested negative for P. ramorum for the last consecutive 3 years are no longer required to provide notification.

 

APHIS and the State Regulatory Agencies in the regulated states will jointly review regulatory history of nurseries in the regulated areas to determine if they will be affected by this Federal Order. If it is determined that a nursery needs to comply, the nursery owner will be notified by their respective State Regulatory Agency. Affected nurseries must comply with this requirement while under the Confirmed Nursery Protocol, and for two years after their release. APHIS will provide trace information to non-regulated states. Notifications will serve as an additional source of information for states receiving high-risk P. ramorum host nursery stock, and at the same time minimize burden on the regulatory agencies and the nursery industry.

 

Affected nurseries are required to maintain notification records for a period of 1 year from the notification date to assist with assessing compliance.

 

This action is necessary based on the results of the advance notification review and information provided to APHIS by state regulatory authorities and the nursery industry. The review findings indicated that advance notification in its current form did not meet the stated goals of providing the states with sufficient information to allow them to prioritize resources and assure rapid response. These changes will enable APHIS and state regulatory agencies to focus resources on nurseries in high-risk quarantine areas and those where P. ramorum has been detected.

 

The Federal Order and a guidance document will be available on the APHIS’ website www.aphis.usda.gov/plant_health/plant_pest_info/pram/regulations.shtml

 

For more information on P. ramorum, please contact Prakash Hebbar, APHIS’ National P. ramorum Policy Manager, at (301) 851-2228 or Stacy Scott, Field Operations Manager, at (970) 494-7577.

 

/s/ Rebecca A. Bech

 

Rebecca A. Bech

Deputy Administrator

Plant Protection and Quarantine

Attachment (1)

- Federal Order

• DA-2012-53_PramorumNotification_FINAL.pdf