March 5, 2004

USDA Set To Change Wheat Import Regulations

U.S. Department of Agriculture's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service is proposing changes to its regulations regarding the importation of wheat from areas affected with Karnal bunt.
 
The proposed changes include the following: developing lists of regulated articles and regions affected by Karnal bunt; increasing the flexibility of the regulations to provide for faster recognition of areas free of the disease, describing conditions under which wheat and related articles from affected regions could be imported into the U.S. and specifying disinfection requirements for imported farm equipment used to handle Karnal bunt-positive wheat.
 
These proposed changes would make APHIS' import regulations for wheat and related articles from areas affected with Karnal bunt equivalent to its domestic Karnal bunt regulations.