• Party submitting the request. The address, telephone and fax numbers and e-mail addresses of the national plant protection organisation of the country from which the commodities would be exported; or, for requests that address a multi-country region, the address, telephone and fax numbers and e-mail addresses of the exporting countries' national and regional plant protection organisations.

• Commodity proposed for importation. The following information is required: (i) a description and/or map of the specific location(s) of the areas in the exporting country where the plants, plant parts or plant products are produced; (ii) the scientific name (including genus, species and author names), synonyms and taxonomic classification of the commodity; (iii) identification of the particular plant or plant part (i.e., fruit, leaf, root, entire plant, etc.) and any associated plant part proposed for importation; (iv) the proposed end use of the imported commodity (e.g., propagation, consumption, milling, decorative, processing, etc.); and (v) the months of the year when the commodity would be produced, harvested and exported.

• Shipping. Detailed information as to the projected quantity and weight/volume of the proposed importation, broken down according to varieties, where applicable; and method of shipping in international commerce and under what conditions, including type of conveyance and type, size and capacity of packing boxes and/or shipping containers.

• Pests and diseases associated with the commodity. Scientific name (including genus, species and author names) and taxonomic classification of arthropods, fungi, bacteria, nematodes, viruses, viroids, mollusks, phytoplasmas, spiroplasmas, etc., attacking the crop; plant part attacked by each pest, pest life stages associated with each plant part attacked and location of pest (in, on or with commodity); and references.
  

• Current strategies for risk mitigation or management. Overview of agronomic or horticultural management practices used in production of the commodity, including methods of pest risk mitigation or control programmes; and identification of parties responsible for pest management and control.
  

• Additional information. If APHIS determines that additional information is required in order to complete a pest risk analysis in accordance with international standards, it will notify the party submitting the request what specific additional information is required. If this information is not provided and is not available to APHIS from other sources, a request may be considered incomplete and APHIS may be unable to take further action on the request until the necessary additional information is submitted. The additional information may include one or more of the following.
  

(1) Contact information. Address, phone and fax numbers and/or e-mail address for local experts (e.g., academicians, researchers, extension agents) most familiar with crop production, entomology, plant pathology and other relevant characteristics of the commodity proposed for importation.

(2) Commodity. (i) Common name(s) in English and the language(s) of the exporting country; (ii) a cultivar name in accordance with the International Code of Nomenclature for Cultivated Plants, variety or group description of the commodity; (iii) stage of maturity at which the crop is harvested and the method of harvest; (iv) indication of whether the crop is grown from certified seed or nursery stock, if applicable; (v) if grown from certified seed or stock, indication of the origin of the stock or seed (country, state); and (vi) colour photographs of plant, plant part or plant product itself.

(3) Area where the commodity is grown. (i) Unique characteristics of the production area in terms of pests or diseases; (ii) maps of the production regions, pest-free areas, etc.; (iii) length of time the commodity has been grown in the production area; (iv) status of growth of production area (i.e., acreage expanding or stable); and (v) physical and climatological description of the growing area.

(4) Post-harvest transit and processing. Complete description of the post-harvest processing methods used; and description of the movement of the commodity from the field to processing to exporting port (e.g., method of conveyance, shipping containers, transit routes, especially through different pest risk areas).

(5) Shipping methods. Photographs of the boxes and containers used to transport the commodity; and identification of port(s) of export and import and expected months (seasons) of shipment, including intermediate ports of call and time at intermediate ports of call, if applicable.

(6) Pests and diseases associated with the commodity. (i) Common name(s) of the pest in English and local language(s); (ii) geographic distribution of the pest in the country, if it is a quarantine pest and it follows the pathway; (iii) period of attack (e.g., attacks young fruit beginning immediately after blooming) and records of pest incidence (e.g., percentage of infested plants or infested fruit) over time (e.g., during the different phenological stages of the crops and/or times of the year); (iv) economic losses associated with pests of concern in the country; (v) pest biology or disease etiology or epidemiology; and (vi) photocopies of literature cited in support of the information above.

(7) Current strategies for risk mitigation or management. (i) Description of pre-harvest pest management practices (including target pests, treatments (e.g., pesticides) or other control methods) as well as evidence of efficacy of pest management treatments and other control methods; (ii) efficacy of post-harvest processing treatments in pest control; (iii) culling percentage and efficacy of culling in removing pests from the commodity; and (iv) description of quality assurance activities, efficacy and efficiency of monitoring implementation.

(8) Existing documentation: Relevant pest risk analyses, environmental assessment(s), biological assessment(s) and economic information and analyses.

According to APHIS, submission of this information with the import request will substantially reduce the amount of time required for data collection for both routine and complex risk assessments, as well as the need for international travel to collect information.