Earlier this month, USDA announced a new federal program to promote coordinated efforts to reduce plant-pest risks at U.S. ports of entry. The process allows states to petition the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service ("APHIS") for federal recognition of their phytosanitary programs, which target limited-distribution pests that APHIS either is not already regulating or is considering no longer regulating. Under the program, if a state-managed pest is detected at a port of entry, then APHIS or U.S. Customs and Border Protection will require the importer to comply with the state's phytosanitary mitigation requirements. The program will also allow USDA to relax entry requirements for plant pests no longer considered risks by the federal or state governments.
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