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CORRECTION: This final rule will be effective 30 days after publication in the Federal Register.

APHIS is amending the fruits and vegetables regulations to allow the importation of several species of fresh pepper (chili pepper, aji pepper, scotch bonnet, Thai pepper, and rocoto) from Peru into the continental United States and its Territories under a systems approach. The systems approach includes a variety of requirements to effectively prevent the introduction of plant pests into the United States.

The systems approach includes requirements for fruit fly trapping, pre-harvest inspections, approved production sites and growing methods, packinghouse procedures, fruit safeguarding from harvest to importation, inspection by the national plant protection organization (NPPO) of Peru and inspection at the U.S. port of entry. The fruit will also be required to be accompanied by a phytosanitary certificate with an additional declaration that the peppers were grown at an approved production site and found free of quarantine pests.

This action allows for the importation of untreated fresh peppers from Peru while continuing to provide protection against the introduction of plant pests into the continental United States and its Territories.

This final rule will be effective 30 days after publication in the Federal Register.  The final rule will be available on Monday, September 14 at http://www.regulations.gov/#!documentDetail;D=APHIS-2014-0028-0001