Table of contents
1. DEFINITIONS 2
1.1 Products to be exported to the United States of America 2
1.2 Pests and organisms of concern 2
1.3 Participating organizations 2
1.4 Co-operative agreement 2
2. USDA REGULATIONS GOVERNING ENTRY OF EXPORTED PRODUCT 2
2.1 Code of federal regulations 2
2.2 Conditions of entry 2
3. RESPONSIBILITIES 4
3.1. USDA-APHIS-PPQ 4
3.2. Co-operator/Exporter/Government agency 4
4. TREATMENT 4
4.1. Procedures 4
4.1.1. Type of treatment required 4
4.1.2. Equipment certification requirement 5
4.1.3. Monitoring procedures 5
4.1.4. Inspections prior to treatment 5
4.2. Safeguards 5
4.2.1. Pack house procedures 5
4.2.2. Other procedures 5
5. INSPECTION 6
5.1. Sampling rate requirement 6
5.1.1. Sample selection procedure for consignments that are
HOMOGENOUS (only one producer, one fruit variety): 6
5.1.2. Sample selection procedure for consignments
consisting of fruit of two or more different cultivars: 6
5.1.3. Sample selection procedure for consignments
consisting of fruit from two or more producers 7
5.1.4 Optional sampling procedures (for citrus only): Popular Count Sampling 7
5.1.5: Miscellaneous: 8
5.2. Location of inspection(s) 9
5.2.1. Field 9
5.2.2. Processing plant, inspection sites, etc. 9
6. SHIPPING REQUIREMENTS 9
6.1. Safeguards 9
6.2. Sealing requirements 10
7. VIOLATIONS/CORRECTIVE ACTIONS 10
7.1. Procedures 10
7.1.1. First warning (action) 10
7.1.2. Second warning (action) 10
7.2. The running average & Programme Suspension/Termination 10
7.3. Programme Reinstatement 11
8. REGISTRATION AND IDENTIFICATION OF USA DESTINED ORCHARDS 11
9. APPENDICES 11
WORK PLAN FOR THE USDAPRECLEARANCE INSPECTION AND COLD TREATMENT OF SOUTH AFRICAN
CITRUS FRUIT DESIGNATED FOR EXPORT TO THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
1. DEFINITIONS
1.1. Products to be exported to the United States of America are:
Clementines (To include):
Mandarines Citrus reticulata
Satsuma Citrus reticulata
Clementine Citrus reticulata
Sweet Oranges (To include):
Valencia orange Citrus sinensis (including Delta Seedless and Midknights)
Navel orange Citrus sinensis
Grapefruit Citrus paradise
Lemon Citrus limon
Minneola Citrus paradisi x Citrus reticulata
1.2 Pests and organisms of concern
Appendix 1 lists the quarantine pests.
1.3 Participating organizations:
United States Department of Agriculture/Animal and Plant Health Inspection Services
(USDA-APHIS).
Directorates: South African Agricultural Food, Quarantine and Inspection Services (SAAFQIS) & Plant Health
The Following Organizations are Appointed Representatives of the DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE (DOA)
Perishable Product Export Control Board (PPECB).
Deciduous Fruit Producers Trust (DFPT).
1.4 Co-operative agreement
It is agreed that the DFPT will be responsible for signing the COOPERATIVE TRUST FUND agreement, and the DFPT undertakes to pay the costs involved for the USDA-APHIS pre-clearance inspection by signing an annual financial workplan.
2 USDA REGULATIONS GOVERNING ENTRY OF EXPORTED PRODUCT
2.1. Code of federal regulations
Federal Register No. 319.56 (CFR 7 Part 319.56)
2.2. Conditions of entry
A phytosanitary certificate issued by the South African Department of Agriculture must accompany each shipment of citrus fruit. The phytosanitary certificate must contain the following Additional Declaration: “ The citrus fruit in this consignment was grown in and packed in the Western Cape Province and Northern Cape Province of South Africa” (7CFR319.56-2q) and shipped from the Western Cape Province of South Africa. The designated citrus black spot free areas in the Western Cape of South Africa are as follows: the magisterial districts of Clanwilliam, Piketberg, Stellenbosch, Paarl, Somerset-West, Swellendam, Worcester, Robertson, Montagu, Heidelberg, Ladismith, Strand, Caledon, Hermanus, Bredasdorp, and Wellington. The designated citrus black spot free areas in the Northern Cape of South Africa are as follows: the magisterial districts of Warrenton and Hartswater. South African citrus is subject to product inspection by the USDA-APHIS. Each shipment of citrus fruit will be subject to cold treatment in transit.
All boxes must be marked in plain English with correct and accurate information including the following:
- Name and address of exporter
- Country of origin
- Registered code identifying pack house
- Count: indicating number of fruit in the box, and/or caliber, indicating approximate diameter of fruit
- Net weight in pounds or kilograms
- General description: variety and type of citrus fruit
Forms, which must accompany each consignment, are:
Container Shipment:
- Official Phytosanitary certificate
- Bill of lading
- PPQ203 (Confirmation of inspection)
- Commercial invoice
- Certificate of calibration of temperature recording equipment
- Plan of location of temperature sensors
- Plan of location of containers
- Grower list per container
- Covering letter advising of the vessel, load port, date of sailing and discharge port
- Instructions to Master of M/V
Break Bulk Shipment:
Phytosanitary certificate issued by Department of Agriculture
-
- Bill of lading
- PPQ203 (Confirmation of inspection)
- Commercial invoice
- Certificate of calibration of temperature recording equipment
- Plan of location of temperature sensors
- Grower list by hatch
- Covering letter advising of the vessel, load port, date of sailing and discharge port
- Instructions to Master of M/V
3 RESPONSIBILITIES
3.1 USDA-APHIS-PPQ
USDA-APHIS-Plant Protection and Quarantine - Port Operations
Assistant Director - Pre-clearance
4700 River Road, Unit 60
Riverdale, MD 23707 – 1228
Phone: (301) 734 8892 Fax: (301) 734 8318
APHIS Attaché Pretoria
American Embassy
877 Pretorius Street
Arcadia, Pretoria,
Republic of South Africa
Phone : ** 27 12 431 4711/4709 Fax: **27 12 342 3385
Cell. : ** 27 82 858 2408
3.2 Co-operator/Exporter/Government agency
Exporters will be responsible for product and product related statistics. USDA/DOA will be responsible to record all interceptions made during the inspection of fields, pack houses and the fruits. After a quarantine decision has been made on an interception, it will be mandatory that USDADOA forward all this information to the Permits and Risk Assessment (PRA) Support Staff in Riverdale, MD. This information will be used to determine future inspection criteria for a pre-clearance programme in this country.
3.2.1 Government agency/Phytosanitary certification
Department of Agriculture: Directorates: South Africa Agricultural Food, Quarantine and Inspection Services & Plant Health
3.2.2 Quality inspection agency
Perishable Products Export Control Board – Agricultural Product Standards
(PPECB-APS).
3.2.3 Cold stores and Pack houses
Pack houses will be selected on the basis of their ability to supply a product, which meets the market and USDA-APHIS requirements. They will be open to USDA-APHIS inspection at any time.
3.2.4 Cold storage, shipping and cold sterilization
Perishable Products Export Control Board – Technical and Operations (PPECB-TO).
3.2.5 Exporter
Deciduous Fruit Producers Trust (DFPT), and those registered with Department of Agriculture
4 TREATMENT
4.1 Procedures
4.1.1 Type of treatment required
Full details of the procedures for in transit cold treatment of citrus fruit shipped from South African ports to the United States of America are prescribed in T107e in the USDA Treatment Manual (www.aphis.usda.gov/ppq/manuals/online_manuals.html)
4.1.2 Equipment certification requirement
Vessels and containers to be used will be USDA-APHIS approved and have valid USDA-APHIS certificates of approval. List of USDA-APHIS approved vessels and containers can be found on the following website www.aphis.usda.gov/ppq/manuals/vessellist-external.html
Calibration of the temperature monitoring devices and temperature recording equipment will be done by USDA-APHIS authorized PPECB personnel according to the agreed USDA-APHIS and PPECB requirements.
4.1.3 Monitoring procedures
Vessels will be USDA-APHIS registered and will have the minimum number of sensors required to monitor air and fruit temperatures.
4.1.4 Inspections prior to treatment
Citrus fruit and cartons shall be free from plants or portions of plants, including leaves, twigs, soil or other portions of plants, or plant litter or rubbish.
4.2 Safeguards
Details of safeguards are:
4.2.1 Pack house procedures
- The pack house manager shall be responsible for maintaining the packing, inspection, working environment, cold storage and storage facilities sanitary, clean and free from culls and debris. Empty cartons shall be stored so that they are not inadvertently subjected to hitchhiking insects.
- Pack houses sanitation processes to control and exclude the occurrence of external pests shall include inter alia:
- fruit washing in chlorinated water
- brushing and rinsing fruit
- brush-on application of fungicides
4.2.2 Other procedures
- The USDA-APHIS officials to ensure that they are in order will check documentation, which confirms that various actions were successfully carried out before the vessel left South Africa.
- The PPECB hatch and/or container seals will be checked to establish that they have not been broken. Seals used for ship hatches must carry the prescribed PPECB logo.
- The USDA-APHIS inspector at the port of entry will examine the temperature recording equipment to establish that it has operated correctly, has not been tampered with and that the temperature records for the entire duration of the cold treatment process have been recorded as prescribed.
- The USDA-APHIS inspector at the port of entry will examine the temperature records to ensure that the prescribed cold treatment process has been carried out according to specification and to reflect the date and time of completion of the process on the phytosanitary certificate prior to discharge.
- The temperature monitoring sensors may be re-calibrated by the USDA-APHIS once these become available after cold treatment has been completed.
5. INSPECTION
It is important to note that consignments will be rejected for export to USA due to incorrect sampling. No fruits will be inspected in plastic bags.
5.1 Sampling rate requirement
The sampling procedure provides a 95% confidence level when an infestation level of 4% or higher is present when 6% of the consignment is sampled and inspected.
The sampling protocol is as follows:
Inspection lot size Biometric sample size
0 to 160 cartons 25 cartons
161 to 800 cartons 50 cartons
Over 800 cartons 75 cartons
The sample cartons should be numbered as each is selected. The number should reflect the sample interval. In example number 1 (below) the cartons would be numbered 10, 52, 94, etc. There is no numbering required for non-sampled cartons from the consignment.
Sampling procedure:
5.1.1. Sample selection procedure for consignments that are HOMOGENOUS (only one producer, one fruit variety):
(a) Establish the inspection unit e.g. 6000 cartons.
(b) Divide the inspection unit size by the biometric sample size: 6000/75 = 80 (this is the sampling interval).
(c) Randomly select a number between 1 and the answer in point 2 (which is 80) e.g. 10. This is the number of the first carton to be selected for inspection.
(d) To determine the second carton, add the sampling interval (80) to the first carton number (10): 80 + 10 = 90; 90 is then the number of the second carton.
(e) To determine the third carton, add the sampling interval (80) to the second carton number (90): 80 + 90 = 170; 170 is then the number of the third carton.
(f) Continue this process until the biometric sample size (in this case 75 cartons) is reached.
5.1.2 Sample selection procedure for consignments consisting of fruit of two or more different cultivars:
For example, a consignment can consist of 2 different cultivars of citrus.
It is sampled as a unit so, if a rejection occurs due to any one of the cultivars, the whole consignment will be rejected.
5.1.3 Sample selection procedure for consignments consisting of fruit from two or more
producers:
The number of pallets presented by any one producer, in relation to the number presented by the other producers contributing to a consignment, determine the number of sample cartons to be drawn from each producer.
Example 1:
Producer / Inspection Unit Size / Biometric Sample Size for 800 Cartons or more1 / 10 pallets: 1,600 cartons / 1600÷3,200×75=37.5 round to 37
2 / 5 pallets: 800 cartons / 800÷3,200×75=18.75 round to 19
3 / 5 pallets: 800 cartons / 800÷3,200×75=18.75 round to 19
Total: / 20 pallets: 3,200 cartons / 75
1. Interval determination for all 3 producers is 3,200 / 75 = 42.66 (always round down) = 42
2. Select number between 1-42 (example 10)
3. First sample carton is number 10
4. Second sample carton is 42 + 10 = 52
5. Third sample carton is 42 + 52 = 94
- Continue until appropriate number of sample cartons are drawn (example 37 cartons for producer 1)
5.1.4 Optional sampling procedures (for citrus only): Popular Count Sampling
The Popular Count refers to the size of fruit being packed. The shipment will be composed of several counts, e.g. small, medium and large fruit. The popular count refers to that count which comprises the most of the consignment e.g. the medium fruit form 60% of the consignment, small fruit 10% and large fruit 30 % - the most popular count will then be the medium fruit. An assessment of mealy bug infestation levels across the fruit size was done. The result indicated a very strong uniform distribution of infestation level across the fruit size categories. This indicates that, irrespective of where the sample is drawn from in the range of size categories, the probability of detecting mealy bug remains the same. In light of the above justification, popular count sampling will be allowed as an option for citrus.
Example 2: A single producer consignment
Count / Number of Cartons# 1 / 600 popular count
# 2 / 300
# 3 / 300
Total / 1200
Example 3: For multiple Producer Consignments:
Producer / Count / Number of cartons / Step 11
1
1 / # 1
# 2
# 3 / 600 Popular count
300
300
1 / Total / 1200 / 1200÷4800×75 = 18.75 round to 18
2
2
2 / # 1
# 2
# 3 / 300
600 Popular count
300
2 / Total / 1200 / Same as above
3
3
3 / # 1
# 2
# 3 / 600
1200 Popular count
600
3 / Total / 2400 / 2400÷4800×75 = 37.5 round to 37
Total consignment 4800 Total sample 75
Step 2
- Interval for Producers 1 and 2: 600÷18 = 33
- Interval for Producer 3: 1200÷37 = 32
5.1.5: Miscellaneous:
A. The sample cartons should be numbered as each is selected. The number should reflect the sample interval. In example number 1, above, the cartons would be numbered 10, 52, 94, etc. There is no numbering required for non-sampled cartons from the consignment.
B. If industry is estimating the shipment size, the selected interval may produce either a smaller or larger sample than required. For example: