APHIS updates its Plants for Planting Manual

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) has updated its Plants for Planting Manual and Agricultural Commodity Import Requirements (ACIR) database to reflect that 21 European Union (EU) countries and the United Kingdom are free from citrus longhorned beetle (CLB) and Asian longhorned beetle (ALB). APHIS is removing these countries from the list of countries where CLB and ALB are present. These six EU countries — Austria, Croatia, Finland, France, Germany, and Italy — remain on the list of countries where CLB and ALB are present.

APHIS has also changed the entry requirements for importing host plants of CLB and ALB from Belgium, Denmark, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom. These are the only countries that had CLB and ALB present and were granted Not Authorized Pending Pest Risk Analysis (NAPPRA) exemption because of significant import volumes of the hosts’ genera. 

NAPPRA-exempt host genera of CLB and ALB from Belgium, Denmark, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom now are admissible if plants have a stem or root collar diameter greater than 10 mm (0.4 inches) and satisfy the current import permit requirements. Phytosanitary certificates with an additional declaration are no longer required.

If new CLB or ALB introductions or infestations are found in the 21 EU member countries and the United Kingdom, APHIS will determine if the presence/absence pest status should change. Members of the public can view the public notice and additional information in the Federal Register.

The changes became effective on June 12, 2024.