The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) has developed a new database called “Agricultural Commodity Import Requirements” (ACIR). ACIR gives users a simple search interface for finding and displaying import requirements for agricultural commodities. It will become the official location for import requirements for commodities currently found in the Fruit and Vegetable Import Requirements (FAVIR) database and three import manuals:
- Cut Flowers and Greenery Manual
- Seeds Not for Planting Manual
- Miscellaneous Processed Products Manual
On September 30, 2022, the FAVIR web page will redirect users to the ACIR landing page, and FAVIR will no longer be available on the APHIS website. On October 3, APHIS will remove the three manuals from its public-facing USDA website. The manuals will remain available to U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and APHIS staff on an internal website. They will remain there for a transition period extending through the end of the calendar year 2023.
ACIR provides a single source to search for and retrieve entry requirements for imported commodities. ACIR information includes treatment schedules, inspection procedures, and other necessary information to determine the admissibility without the need to access multiple manuals. Users can check ACIR to see if they need to apply for a permit. APHIS’ eFile system for permit, license, and registration applications uses the ACIR import requirement data when processing plant and plant product permit applications.
APHIS’ ACIR benefits include:
- A user-friendly search tool for commodity import information
- All relevant import requirements for a given commodity are presented in one place
- Self-service responses to entry requirement questions
APHIS created a series of short, online ACIR video tutorials for importers, brokers, and members of the public to quickly learn how to navigate the simple interface. To ensure a smooth transition, APHIS strongly recommends that users of FAVIR or the three import manuals begin to use ACIR now. ACIR already offers access to all the commodity import requirement information found in the manuals.
For more information: aphis.usda.gov