USDA Announces Deregulation of Chrysanthemum White Rust Requirements
USDA Announces Deregulation of Chrysanthemum White Rust Requirements
Good news for the floral import industry!
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has announced that, effective November 9, 2026, permits previously required under chrysanthemum white rust (CWR) regulations will no longer be required.
This import requirement has been in place for more than 20 years and is now being lifted.
Below is the official USDA announcement outlining the changes.
APHIS Deregulates Chrysanthemum White Rust; Updates Import Requirements for Chrysanthemum Plants for Planting and Fresh Cut Flowers
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) is deregulating chrysanthemum white rust (CWR), a fungal disease caused by Puccinia horiana, and removing its designation as a quarantine pest.
An APHIS economic evaluation concluded that the current eradication-based approach is no longer technically or economically justified. CWR is now considered established in the United States, and growers can manage it more effectively using commonly available fungicides and other industry practices.
After extensive analysis and research, APHIS has determined that Chrysanthemum spp., Leucanthemella serotina, and Nipponanthemum nipponicum may be safely imported into the continental United States as cuttings and in vitro plantlets from 20 countries—including Belgium, Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Ethiopia, Germany, Guatemala, Kenya, Mexico, the Netherlands, Nicaragua, Panama, Spain, Tanzania, Tunisia, Uganda, the United Kingdom, and Vietnam—under a systems approach.
APHIS also authorizes the importation of Chrysanthemum spp., Leucanthemella serotina, and Nipponanthemum nipponicum cuttings, in vitro plantlets, and plants with roots from Canada under a separate protocol.
APHIS is removing CWR-specific import restrictions on fresh cut flowers and consolidating all commodity-specific import requirements into the Agricultural Commodity Import Requirements (ACIR) database. In addition, APHIS is adding the notice-based process to 7 CFR 319 Subpart P—Cut Flowers to enable a more rapid response to changing pest situations on this commodity.
Additional Information
To view the details of this action, visit www.regulations.gov and enter the following docket numbers in the search field:
APHIS-2021-0081: Plants for planting regulation.
APHIS-2019-0024: Chrysanthemum fresh cut flowers rule.
These changes are effective 30 days after publication in the Federal Register on November 9, 2026.
