APHIS Commodity import approval process for agricultural products into the US
To obtain access to U.S. markets for a fruit, vegetable, plant, or plant product that is not already an approved commodity, one must initiate a commodity import request. There are 4 steps in the process:
- Determine if the commodity is an approved commodity or currently undergoing a pest risk analysis
- If it is not approved or currently undergoing a pest risk analysis, submit a commodity import request
- APHIS will conduct a pest risk analysis and an environmental review to determine potential pests likely to remain on the commodity upon importation and potential mitigations that may be required to avoid, reduce, or eliminate the risk of pest introduction.
- If APHIS determines that the commodity can be safely imported into the United States, APHIS will initiate the regulatory administrative process to seek public comment
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