APHIS Eases Approval Process for Cold Treatment Facilities at Southern, Western Ports

The Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service is amending its regulations to ease the approval process for cold treatment facilities in the Southern and Western U.S., it said in a final rule. New general criteria for approving cold treatment facilities across the U.S. replaces the location-specific criteria currently in place, APHIS said. Previously, cold treatment facilities could only be located north of 39 degrees latitude and east of 104 degrees longitude, with exemptions granted for the maritime ports of Wilmington, North Carolina; Seattle; Corpus Christi, Texas; and Gulfport, Mississippi; as well as Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, Hartsfield-Atlanta International Airport and MidAmerica St. Louis Airport in Mascoutah, Illinois. "These criteria, if met, will allow us to approve new cold treatment facilities without rulemaking and facilitate the importation of fruit requiring cold treatment while continuing to provide protection against the introduction of pests of concern into the United States," APHIS said. The rule becomes effective March 14.