Cut flowers

Proposed Rule: Cut Flowers Regulations; Removal of Chrysanthemum White Rust-Related Provisions. Language(s): English. Number of pages: 4

We are proposing to amend the regulations governing the importation of cut flowers to remove requirements for the importation of specific types of cut flowers from the regulations, and to list them in the U.S. Department of Agriculture database called the Agricultural Commodity Import Requirements instead. Updates to these requirements would occur through a noticed-based process rather than rulemaking. We are also proposing to remove entirely any restrictions on the importation of cut flowers of the genera Chrysanthemum, Leucanthemella, and Nipponanthemum from countries in which chrysanthemum white rust (Puccinia horiana P. Henn., CWR) is known to exist. For this latter proposed action, we have prepared an analysis, which we are making available for public review and comment, that evaluates the efficacy of the current regulatory requirements in precluding the spread of CWR and the possible economic impacts associated with removing these requirements. These changes would allow us to use a notice-based, streamlined approach to update the import requirements for cut flowers, and it would remove CWR-specific restrictions on the importation of cut flowers. [Federal Register Vol. 88, No. 73, Monday 17 April 2023, pp. 23365-23368]