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Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service logo Fruits and Vegetables Import Requirements (FAVIR)
Effective October 1, 2022 the Fruits and Vegetables Import Requirements (FAVIR) database has been replaced by the Agricultural Commodity Import Requirements database at https://acir.aphis.usda.gov/s/


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Commodity Import Report (CIR)

Lemon (Fruit) from Uruguay into Continental U.S. Ports
The CIR contains current import regulation information for the selected Commodity Import (a specific commodity approved from a designated country, or region, into one or more designated ports). A flag ( Access Restricted to APHIS/CBP ) indicates information that is intended for and available to an APHIS/CBP audience only.
Citrus limon Commodity Summary Guide Page Country Summary

Import Requirements
1 Admissible Plant Parts: Fruit
2 Admissible Ports: Continental U.S. Ports
3 Import Permit Required: An Import Permit is required. To obtain a permit, go to APHIS eFile.
4 Subject to Inspection: This commodity is subject to inspection at the port of entry and all general requirements of 7 CFR 319.56-3.
5 Commercial Consignments Only
6 Pest Mitigation Strategy: Consignments must satisfy only one of the mitigation strategy options listed below.
7 Pest Mitigation Strategy: Option 1
  7.1 Date Restriction: Harvested between May 15 and August 31 (inclusive); AND
  7.2 Stage of Ripeness: Green fruit only
  7.3 Phytosanitary Certificate: Must be accompanied by a phytosanitary certificate issued by the National Plant Protection Organization (NPPO) of Uruguay containing three additional declarations:
  • Fruit in the consignment is free of all pests of quarantine concern; and
  • Fruit in the consignment has been produced in accordance with the requirements of the systems approach authorized under 7 CFR 319.56-4; and
  • Lemons in the consignment have been harvested green between May 15 and August 31.
8 Pest Mitigation Strategy: Option 2
  8.1 Date Restriction: Harvested between September 1 and May 14; OR
  8.2 Stage of Ripeness: Yellow fruit
  8.3 Phytosanitary Certificate: Consignments must be accompanied by a phytosanitary certificate issued by the National Plant Protection Organization (NPPO) of Uruguay containing two additional declarations stating:
  • Fruit in the consignment is free of all pests of quarantine concern; and
  • Fruit in the consignment has been produced in accordance with the requirements of the systems approach authorized under 7 CFR 319.56-4
  8.4 Condition of Entry Treatment: T107-a (Cold Treatment) If treatment has not been completed or fails, the fruits or vegetables may arrive in the United States at either of the following locations:
  • At ports located north of 39° latitude and east of 104° longitude
  • At ports with approved cold-treatment facilities (https://www.aphis.usda.gov/import_export/plants/manuals/ports/downloads/aphis-certified-cold-treatment-facilities.pdf)
9 Port Restriction: Do not import or distribute into or within Hawaii, Puerto Rico, or any U.S. territory.
10 Reference Information: To be treated in accordance with the Plant Protection and Quarantine Treatment Manual (https://www.aphis.usda.gov/import_export/plants/manuals/ports/downloads/treatment.pdf).
Instructions for Officers
11 Verify cold treatment requirements have been satisfied. Refer to the Special Procedures for Cold-Treated Commodities (https://cbp.aphis.usda.gov/ppq/php/favir/SpecialProcedures/downloads/Procedures_coldtreatedFV.pdf). restricted image
Commodity Information
12 For additional commodity information and images, visit https://npgsweb.ars-grin.gov/gringlobal/taxon/taxonomydetail?id=480120  
Additional Requirements
13 Sweet oranges (Citrus sinensis (L.) Osbeck), lemons (C. limon (L.) Burm. f.), mandarins (C. reticulata Blanco, C. clementina Hort. ex Tanaka, C. deliciosa Ten., and C. unshiu Marcow), Citrus hybrids, Fortunella japonica (Thunb.) Swingle, and F. margarita (Lour.) Swingle may be imported into the continental United States from Uruguay only under the conditions described in this section. These species are referred to collectively in this section as “citrus fruit.” These conditions are designed to prevent the introduction of the following quarantine pests: Anastrepha fraterculus, Ceratitis capitata, Cryptoblabes gnidiella, Elsinoë australis, Gymnandrosoma aurantianum, and Xanthomonas citri subsp. citri.

General requirements

The National Plant Protection Organization (NPPO) of Uruguay must provide a bilateral workplan to APHIS detailing the activities the NPPO of Uruguay will, subject ot APHIS's approval of the workplan, carry out to meet the requirements of this section. APHIS will be directly involved with the NPPO of Uruguay in monitoring and auditing implementation of the systems approach.

All places of production and packinghouses participating in the export program must be registered with the NPPO of Uruguay.

The fruit must be grown at places of production meeting the requirements of this section.

The fruit must be packed for export to the United States in a packinghouse meeting the requirements of this section. The place of production at which the fruit was grown must remain identifiable when the fruit leaves the grove, at the packinghouse, and throughout the export process. Boxes containing fruit must be marked with the identity and origin of the fruit. Safeguarding in accordance with this section must be maintained at all times during the movement of the fruit to the United States and must be intact upon arrival of the fruit in the United States.

Monitoring and oversight

The NPPO of Uruguay must visit and inspect registered places of production monthly, starting at least 30 days before harvest and continuing until the end of the shipping season, to verify the growers are complying with the requirements of this section.

In addition to conducting fruit inspections at the packinghouses, the NPPO of Uruguay must monitor packinghouse operations to verify the packinghouses are complying with the requirements of this section.

If the NPPO of Uruguay finds that a place of production or packinghouse is not complying with the relevant requirements of this section, no fruit from the place of production or packinghouse will be eligible for export to the United States until APHIS and the NPPO of Uruguay conduct an investigation and appropriate remedial actions have been implemented.

Grove monitoring and pest control

Trapping must be conducted in the places of production to demonstrate the places of production have a low prevalence of Anastrepha fraterculus and Ceratitis capitata. If the prevalence rises above levels specified in the bilateral workplan, remedial measures must be implemented. The NPPO of Uruguay must keep records of fruit fly detections for each trap and make the records available to APHIS upon request. The records must be maintained for at least 1 year.

Orchard sanitation

Places of production must be maintained free of fallen fruit and plant debris. Fallen fruit may not be included in field containers of fruit brought to the packinghouse to be packed for export.

Packinghouse procedures

The packinghouse must be equipped with double self-closing doors at the entrance to the packinghouse and at the interior entrance to the area in which fruit is packed.

Any vents or openings (other than the double self-closing doors) must be covered with 1.6 mm or smaller screening in order to prevent the entry of pests into the packinghouse.

Fruit must be packed within 24 hours of harvest in a pest-exclusionary packinghouse or stored in a degreening chamber in a pest-exclusionary packinghouse. The fruit must be safeguarded by an insect-proof screen or plastic tarpaulin while in transit to the packinghouse and while awaiting packing. Fruit must be packed in insect-proof cartons or containers, or covered with insect-proof mesh or a plastic tarpaulin, for transport to the United States. These safeguards must remain intact until the arrival of the fruit in the continental United States or the consignment will not be allowed to enter the Untied States.

During the time the packinghouse is in use for exporting citrus fruit to the continental United States, the packinghouse may only accept fruit from registered places of production.

Culling must be performed in the packinghouse to remove any symptomatic or damaged fruit. Fruit must be practically free of leaves, twigs, and other plant parts, except for stems that are less than 1 inch long and attached to the fruit.

Fruit must be washed, brushed, surface disinfected in accordance with 7 CFR Part 305, treated with an APHIS-approved fungicide in accordance with labeled instructions, and waxed.
Page ID: CIRReportP
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