In the May 10, 2016, Federal Register, USDA's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service ("APHIS") proposed to allow the importation of lemons from northwest Argentina into the continental United States. As a condition of entry, the lemons would have to be produced in accordance with a systems approach that would include: (i)requirements for importation in commercial consignments; (ii) registration and monitoring of places of production and packinghouses; (iii) pest-free places of production; (iv) grove sanitation, monitoring, and pest control practices; (v) treatment with a surface disinfectant; (vi)lot identification; and (vii)inspection for quarantine pests by the Argentine national plant protection organization. In addition, lemons would have to be harvested green (within a certain time period) or treated for the Mediterranean fruit fly, and be accompanied by a certificate stating that the lemons have been inspected and found to be free of quarantine pests. Comments are due July 11, 2016.
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