Additional Declaration for Imported Articles of Pelargonium spp. and Solanum spp. To Prevent Introduction of Potato Brown Rot

We are amending the regulations to require that an additional declaration appear on the phytosanitary certificate that must accompany all articles of Pelargonium spp. and Solanum spp. imported into the United States, except those imported under the Canadian greenhouse- grown restricted plant program. The additional declaration must state either that the articles of Pelargonium spp. and Solanum spp. were produced in a production facility that has been tested and found to be free of Ralstonia solanacearum race 3 biovar 2 or that Ralstonia solanacearum race 3 biovar 2 is not known to occur in the region in which the articles were produced. We have recently discovered that articles of Pelargonium spp. and Solanum spp. imported into the United States pose a risk of carrying this bacterial strain, which causes potato brown rot. This action is necessary to prevent the introduction of this bacterial strain into the United States.