More States Allowed to Import Mexican Hass Avocados

USDA's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service is amending its regulations to expand the number of states allowed to import Mexican Hass avocados and to increase the length of the shipping season. APHIS proposed this program expansion in the Federal Register on July 13. The public comment period closed on Sept. 1. APHIS solicited comments for 60 days and held four public hearings in August 2001, concerning the proposal to expand the Mexican Hass avocado import program.

The new shipping season, will begin Nov. 1 (Thursday) and end April 15, 2002. It will extend from Oct.15 through April 15 in future shipping seasons and allow Mexican Hass avocados to be distributed in the following additional states: Colorado, Idaho, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota, Utah, and Wyoming.

USDA requires that the original boxes for Mexican Hass avocados must each have a stamp that lists the distribution restrictions. Once in the approved states, if any avocados are removed from their original shipping boxes and repackaged, the stickers required on the fruit must not be removed or obscured and the new boxes must be clearly marked with all the following information: the identity of the grower, packinghouse, and exporter, and the statement "Not for distribution in AL, AK, AZ, AR, CA, FL, GA, HI, LA, MS, NV, NM, NC, OK, OR, SC, TN, TX, WA, Puerto Rico, and all other U.S. territories."

Each industry in the Mexican Hass avocado import process is responsible for following USDA regulations. Industry employees should be aware of these regulations and the penalties if the regulations are not followed. This notice is scheduled for publication on Nov. 1 in the Federal Register. APHIS documents published in the Federal Register and related information, including the names of organizations and individuals who have commented on APHIS dockets, are available on the Internet at Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service