(September 12, 2006)

On August 25, 2006, the US Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) announced that it will amend the foreign quarantine and user fee regulations that allow fruits and vegetables imported from Canada to be exempt from agricultural quarantine and inspection (AQI) user fees. The current statute permits the importation of most fruits and vegetables, originating in Canada, to come into the US without inspection or AQI fees.

Beginning November 24, 2006, all fruits and vegetables imported from Canada, including all commercial conveyances, will be subject to the inspection and collection of applicable AQI user fees. Resulting from stricter precautionary measures and increasing evidence of non-Canadian originating agricultural shipments, these changes are being implemented to protect against the introduction of plant pests and animal diseases into the United States.