December 2011
Supporting Statement
Importation of Baby Squash and
Baby Courgettes from Zambia
OMB NO. 0579-0347
A. Justification
1. Explain the circumstances that make the collection of information necessary. Identify any legal or administrative requirements that necessitate the collection.
The United States Department of Agriculture, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS), is responsible for preventing plant pests and noxious weeds from entering the
United States, preventing the spread of plant diseases not widely distributed in the United States, and eradicating those imported pests and noxious weeds when eradication is feasible.
Under the Plant Protection Act (7 U.S.C. 7701 – et seq.), the Secretary of Agriculture is authorized to carry out operations or measures to detect, eradicate, suppress, control, prevent, or retard the spread of plant pests new to the United States or not known to be widely distributed throughout the United States.
The regulations in “Subpart-Fruits and Vegetables” (7 CFR 319.56 through 319.56-52, referred to below as the regulations) prohibit or restrict the importation of fruits and vegetables into the United States from certain parts of the world to prevent the introduction and dissemination of plant pests that are new to or not widely distributed within the United States.
APHIS amended the fruits and vegetables regulations to allow the importation into the continental United States of baby squash and baby courgettes from Zambia. As a condition of entry, both commodities would have to be produced in accordance with a systems approach that would include requirements for pest exclusion at the production site, fruit fly trapping inside and outside the production site, and pest-excluding packinghouse procedures. Both commodities would also be required to be accompanied by a phytosanitary certificate with an additional declaration stating that the baby squash and baby courgettes have been produced in accordance with the proposed requirements. This action would allow for the importation of baby squash and baby courgettes from Zambia into the United States while continuing to provide protection against the introduction of quarantine pests.
APHIS is asking OMB to approve, for three additional years, its use of these information collection activities associated with its efforts to prevent the spread of plant pests and plant diseases from entering into the United States.
2. Indicate how, by whom, and for what purpose the information is used. Except for a new collection, indicate the actual use the agency has made of the information received from the current collection.
Phytosanitary Certificate (foreign) - APHIS requires that some plants or plant products be accompanied by a phytosanitary inspection certificate that is completed by plant health officials in the originating or transiting country. APHIS uses the information on the certificate to determine the pest condition of the shipment at the time of inspection in that foreign country. This information is used as a guide to the intensity of the inspection APHIS conducts when the shipments arrive. Without this information, all shipments would need to be inspected very thoroughly, thereby requiring considerably more time. This would slow the clearance of international shipments.
As a condition of entry, baby squash and baby courgettes would be required to be accompanied by a phytosanitary certificate with a declaration stating that the baby squash and baby courgettes have been produced in accordance with the proposed requirements.
Records and Monitoring (foreign) – The Zambian National Plant Protection Organization (NPPO) or its approved designee must maintain records of trap placement, trap servicing, and any Dacus spp. captures. The Zambian NPPO must maintain an APHIS-approved quality control program to audit the trapping program. APHIS must be given access to review 1 year of trapping data for any approved greenhouse upon request. APHIS requires these records to be maintained for 5 years.
Labeling on cartons (businesses) – Baby squash and baby courgettes must be packed in insect-proof cartons for shipment to the United States. These cartons must be labeled with the identity of the greenhouse.
Inspection of Greenhouses - Greenhouses must be inspected periodically by the Zambian NPPO or its approved designee to ensure that sanitary procedures are employed to exclude plant pests and diseases and to verify that the screening is intact.
3. Describe whether, and to what extent, the collection of information involves the use of automated, electronic, mechanical, or other forms of information technology, e.g., permitting electronic submission of responses, and the basis for the decision for adopting this means of collection. Also, describe any consideration of using information technology to reduce burden.
APHIS has no control or influence over when foreign countries will automate the phytosanitary certificate.
4. Describe efforts to identify duplication. Show specifically why any similar information already available cannot be used or modified for use for the purpose described in item 2 above.
The information APHIS collects is exclusive to its mission of preventing the entry of injurious plant pests, diseases, and noxious weeds and is not available from any other source.
5. If the collection of information impacts small businesses or other small entities, describe any methods used to minimize burden.
The information APHIS collects is the minimum needed to protect the United States from destructive plant pests while increasing the number and variety of fruits and vegetables that can be imported from other countries. APHIS has determined that 3 percent of the total respondents are small entities.
6. Describe the consequences to Federal program or policy activities if the collection is not conducted or is conducted less frequently, as well as any technical or legal obstacles to reducing burden.
This information collection activity is critical to APHIS’ mission in ensuring that baby squash and baby courgettes from Zambia are free of Darcus bivitattus, D. frontalis, D. lounsburyii, and other plant pests that could cause millions of dollars in damage to U.S. agriculture.
7. Explain any special circumstances that require the collection to be conducted in a manner inconsistent with the general information collection guidelines in 5 CFR 1320.5.
requiring respondents to report information to the agency more often than quarterly;
requiring respondents to prepare a written response to a collection of information in fewer than 30 days after receipt of it;
requiring respondents to submit more than an original and two copies of any document;
requiring respondents to retain records, other than health, medical, government contract, grant-in-aid, or tax records for more than three years;
in connection with a statistical survey, that is not designed to produce valid and reliable results that can be generalized to the universe of study;
requiring the use of a statistical data classification that has not been reviewed and approved by OMB;
that includes a pledge of confidentiality that is not supported by authority established in statute or regulation, that is not supported by disclosure and data security policies that are consistent with the pledge, or which unnecessarily impedes sharing of data with other agencies for compatible confidential use; or
requiring respondents to submit proprietary trade secret, or other confidential information unless the agency can demonstrate that it has instituted procedures to protect the information's confidentiality to the extent permitted by law.
No special circumstances exist that would require this collection to be conducted in a manner inconsistent with the general information collection guidelines in 5 CFR 1320.5.
8. Describe efforts to consult with persons outside the agency to obtain their views on the availability of data, frequency of collection, the clarity of instructions and recordkeeping, disclosure, or reporting form, and on the data elements to be recorded, disclosed, or reported. If applicable, provide a copy and identify the date and page number of publication in the Federal Register of the agency's notice, soliciting comments on the information collection prior to submission to OMB.
APHIS has held productive consultations in the past with the individuals listed below concerning the information collection activities associate with this program; however, Zambia has not requested to ship baby squash and baby courgettes to the United States under current conditions. Therefore, APHIS was unable to obtain new contacts for this collection.
Agriflora Ltd
Mr. Neil Slade, Director
Private Bag CH 43,
Lusaka, Zambia
Tel. +260-1 220187 or 283688
Fax +260-1 220186
York Farm
Mr. John Henderson, Technical Manager
P.O. Box 30829 Lusaka
Zambia
Tel: + 260 -1 274021/2
Fax: + 260 -1 274023
NZTT
Dr. Glen Humphries/Mr. Issac
NKhungulu
P.O. Box 310241 Chelstone,
Lusaka, Zambia
Tel:/fax: + 260 1 283324
On Friday, June 24, 2011, pages 37055-37056, APHIS published in the Federal Register a 60-day notice seeking public comments on its plans to request a 3-year extension of this collection of information. No comments from the public were received.
9. Explain any decisions to provide any payment or gift to respondents, other than remuneration of contractors or grantees.
This information collection activity involves no payments (other than appropriate, program-related payments) or gifts to respondents.
10. Describe any assurance of confidentiality provided to respondents and the basis for the assurance in statute, regulation, or agency policy.
No additional assurance of confidentiality is provided with this information collection. Any and all information obtained in this collection shall not be disclosed except in accordance with
U.S.C.552a.
11. Provide additional justification for any questions of a sensitive nature, such as sexual behavior and attitudes, religious beliefs, and others that are considered private. This justification should include the reasons why the agency considers the questions necessary, the specific uses to be made of the information, the explanation to be given to persons from whom the information is requested, and any steps to be taken to obtain their consent.
This information collection activity asks no questions of a personal or sensitive nature.
12. Provide estimates of the hour burden of the collection of information. Indicate the number of respondents, frequency of response, annual hour burden, and an explanation of how the burden was estimated.
• Indicate the number of respondents, frequency of response, annual hour burden, and an explanation of how the burden was estimated. If this request for approval covers more than one form, provide separate hour burden estimates for each form and aggregate the hour burdens in Item 13 of OMB Form 83-I.
See APHIS Form 71 for hour burden estimates.
• Provide estimates of annualized cost to respondents for the hour burdens for collections of information, identifying and using appropriate wage rate categories.
The estimated annual cost to respondents is $98. APHIS arrived at this figure by multiplying the total hours by the estimated average hourly wage of the respondents.
(4 burden hours x $24.50 estimated hourly wage = $98)
The hourly wage was estimated by APHIS’ International Services specialists in their discussions with Zambian officials.
13. Provide estimates of the total annual cost burden to respondents or recordkeepers resulting from the collection of information, (do not include the cost of any hour burden shown in items 12 and 14). The cost estimates should be split into two components: (a) a total capital and start-up cost component annualized over its expected useful life; and (b) a total operation and maintenance and purchase of services component.
There is zero annual cost burden associated with capital and start-up costs, maintenance costs, and purchase of services in connection with this program.
14. Provide estimates of annualized cost to the Federal government. Provide a description of the method used to estimate cost and any other expense that would not have been incurred without this collection of information.
The estimated cost for the Federal Government is $ 65.00. (See APHIS Form 79)
15. Explain the reasons for any program changes or adjustments reported in Items 13 or 14 of the OMB Form 83-1.
The number of respondents dropped from 17 to 2 for a decrease of 15 respondents; the number of responses dropped from 245 to 4 for a decrease of 241 responses; and the total burden hours decreased from 55 to 4 for an adjustment of 51 burden hours. Since Zambia has not yet requested to ship baby squash and baby courgettes to the United States, burden hours have dropped considerably. This is an adjustment since PPQ had no control over Zambia’s decision not to ship these vegetables. APHIS does not know what the future holds for Zambia to ship baby squash and baby courgettes to the United States but does not wish to retire this information collection in case shipping to the United States eventually begins. APHIS will reevaluate before the next renewal of this information collection.
16. For collections of information whose results are planned to be published, outline plans for tabulation and publication.
APHIS has no plans to tabulate or publish the information collected.
17. If seeking approval to not display the expiration date for OMB approval of the information collection, explain the reasons that display would be inappropriate.
There are no USDA form involved in this information collection.
18. Explain each exception to the certification statement identified in the "Certification for Paperwork Reduction Act."
APHIS is able to certify compliance with all the provisions in the Act.
B. Collections of Information Employing Statistical Methods
Statistical methods are not used in this information collection.
| File Type | application/msword |
| File Title | Supporting Statement for Information Collection Request |
| Author | Government User |
| Last Modified By | Stratchko, Karen A (APHIS) |
| File Modified | 2011-12-13 |
| File Created | 2010-10-28 |