AGRICULTURAL COMMODITIES

1. Cheese, Milk, and Dairy Products. Cheese and cheese products are subject to the requirements of the Food and Drug Administration and the Department of Agriculture. Most importations of cheese require an import license and are subject to quotas administered by the Department of Agriculture, Foreign Agricultural Service, Washington, D.C. 20250.

The importation of milk and cream is subject to requirements of the Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act and the Import Milk Act. These products can be imported only by obtaining permits from the Department of Health and Human Services, Food and Drug Administration, Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition, Office of Labeling (HFS-156), 200 C Street, N.W., Washington, D.C. 20202; and the Department of Agriculture.

2. Fruits, Vegetables, and Nuts. Certain agricultural commodities (including fresh tomatoes, avocados, mangoes, limes, oranges, grapefruit, green peppers, Irish potatoes, cucumbers, eggplants, dry onions, walnuts and filberts, processed dates, prunes, raisins, and olives in tins) must meet United States import requirements relating to grade, size, quality, and maturity (7 U.S.C. 608(e). Inquiries on general requirements should be made to the Agricultural Marketing Service of the Department of Agriculture, Washington, D.C. 20250. Additional restrictions may be imposed by the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) of that department, Washington, D.C. 20782, under the Plant Quarantine Act, and by the Food and Drug Administration, Division of Import Operations and Policy (HFC-170), 5600 Fishers Lane, Rockville, Md. 20857, under the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act.

3. Insects. Insects in a live state which are injurious to cultivate crops (including vegetables, field crops, bush fruit, and orchard, forest, or shade trees) and the eggs, pupae, or larvae of such insects are prohibited for importation, except for scientific purposes, under the regulations prescribed by the Secretary of Agriculture.

All packages containing live insects or their eggs, pupae, or larvae, which are not injurious to crops or trees, are allowed to enter the United States only if covered by a permit issued by the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) of the Department of Agriculture and are not prohibited by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

4. Livestock and Animals. Inspection and quarantine requirements of the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) of the Department of Agriculture must be met for the importation of (1) all cloven-hoofed animals, such as cattle, sheep, deer, antelope, camels, giraffes; (2) swine including the various varieties of wild hogs and the meat from such animals; (3) horses, asses, mules, and zebras; (4) animal by-products, such as untaned hides, wool, hair, bones, bone-meal, animal casings, glands, organs, extracts, or secretions of ruminants and swine; (5) animal germ-plasm, including embryos and semen; and (6) hay and straw. A permit for importation must be obtained from that agency before shipping from the country of origin.

In addition, all animal imports must be accompanied by a health certificate. Entry procedures for livestock and animals from Mexico and Canada are not as rigorous as those for animals from other countries. Entry of animals is restricted to cetain ports which are designated as quarantine stations. A special offshore, high-security facility, the Harry S. Truman Animal Import Center, has been established at Key West, Florida, so that livestock can be safely quarantined when imported from countries affected with foot and mouth disease (FMD) or other serious animal diseases that do not occur in the United States.

5. Meat and Meat Products. All commercial shipments of meat and meat food products (derived from cattle, sheep, swine, goats, and horses) offered for entry into the United States are subject to the regulations of the Department of Agriculture and must be inspected by the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) and the Food Safety and Inspection Service of that department prior to release by U.S. Customs. Meat products from other sources (including, but not limited to wild game) are subject to APHIS regulations and the provisions of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetics Act, which is enforced by the Food and Drug Administration.

6. Plant and Plant Products. The importation of plants and plant products is subject to the regulations of the Department of Agriculture and may be restricted or prohibited. Plants and plant products include fruits, vegetables, plants, nursery stock, bulbs, roots, seeds, certain fibers including cotton and broomcorn, cut flowers, sugarcane, certain cereals, elm logs and elm lumber with bark attached. Import permits are required. Further information should be obtained from the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS). Also, certain endangered species of plants may be prohibited or require permits or certificates. The Food and Drug Administration also regulates plant and plant products, particularly fruits and vegetables.

7. Poultry and Poultry Products. Poultry, live, dressed, or canned; eggs, including eggs for hatching; and egg products are subject to the requirements and regulations of the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) and the Food Safety and Inspection Service of the Department of Agriculture.

Except for live poultry and poultry products entering through land ports from Canada, permits are required, as well as special marking and labeling; and in some cases, foreign inspection certification. The term “poultry” is defined as any live or slaughtered domesticated bird, e.g., chickens, turkeys, ducks, geese, swans, partriges, guinea fowl, pea fowl, non-migratory ducks, pigeons, and doves. Other birds (e.g., commercial, domestic, or pen-raised grouse, pheasants and quail, and migratory birds) as well as certain egg products are subject to APHIS regulations and to the provisions of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetics Act, enforced by the Food and Drug Administration. Inquiry should also be made to the Fish and Wildlife Service, Washington, D.C. 20240, about their import requirements, restrictions, and prohibitions.

8. Seeds. The importation into the United States of agricultural and vegetables seeds and screenings is governed by the provisions of the Federal Seed Acto 1939 and regulations of the Agricultural Marketing Service, Department of Agriculture. Shipments are detained pending the drawing and testing of samples.