April 12, 2017

Dear BRS Stakeholder,

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) today announced the postponement of an ePermits Planting Report Upgrade to allow our stakeholders enough time to adjust their work processes and systems. The revised effective date for this upgrade is October 1, 2017.

As announced on March 29, 2017, APHIS is implementing a user-friendly ePermits upgrade to planting reports whereby construct data in APHIS planting reports will be required. This ePermits enhancement changes the timing of the submission of the construct data and is not an additional regulatory requirement.

Currently, in ePermits, construct data must be submitted during the submission of a final field test data report (required six months after the termination of a field test). Planting reports submitted during the field activity do not require construct data be submitted, although a field in the ePermits report form is available for these data. Since submission of a subsequent final field test data report requires construct information, users must go back and add it for each planting record. With this upgrade, users will enter the construct data a single time earlier in the process, and that information will flow automatically to subsequent field test reports, including the final field test data report.

Additionally, the new required construct data field ensures planting/release data are managed more efficiently for both APHIS and the applicant. It will result in enhanced oversight of regulated field trials and fewer compliance issues by ensuring users are communicating complete construct information to APHIS earlier in the process.

Effective October 1, 2017, detailed instructions on this upgrade and how to submit planting reports can be found in the ePermits BRS Reports & Notices User Guide. You can also contact BRS via email (BRSCompliance@aphis.usda.gov) or phone (BRS Compliance: 301-851-3879) for assistance and guidance.