Country: United States

Title: Update of Asian Citrus Psyllid andCitrus Greening Quarantine Areas - United States

Contact:
Patrick Gomes, National Coordinator, Citrus Health Response Program, (919) 855-7313

Report:

The Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) is expanding the Asian citrus psyllid (Diaphorina citri) (ACP) quarantine area in California and expanding the quarantine areas in Alabama, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Texas to include the entirety of those States. This action is necessary in order to prevent the interstate spread of ACP.

On October 20, 2008, the California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) announced the detection of ACP in Imperial County, California. ACP has been found at several locations within Imperial County. The southern portion of Imperial County, California is now under quarantine. The quarantined area, as well as the rest of the County, has been surveyed and found to otherwise be free from ACP, and the quarantined area is defined by recognizable boundaries. The State of California and Imperial County have agreed to implement regulatory and other measures to reduce the likelihood of the spread of ACP through the movement of infested plant material. CDFA has put in place a parallel regulated area that establishes requirements governing the intrastate movement of regulated articles from the quarantined area that are equivalent to those requirements in the citrus greening/Asian citrus psyllid Federal Order.

In addition, the States of Alabama, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Texas have determined that as an alternative to the establishment of intrastate quarantines, they will agree to quarantine the entirety of those States for ACP. Currently, each of these States contains areas quarantined due to the presence of ACP, but these areas are less than the entire State. When less than an entire State is quarantined, APHIS requires that the State establish a parallel intrastate quarantine that is equivalent to the requirements of the Federal quarantine. As an alternative, the State may elect to have the entire State listed as a quarantined area without any requirement for a parallel intrastate quarantine.

Two parishes in Louisiana (Orleans and Washington) are now under quarantine for citrus greening ('Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus') (CG). The State has established a parallel quarantine prohibiting any intrastate movement of regulated articles from these parishes. This fulfills the APHIS requirement for a parallel intrastate quarantine. Therefore, only these two parishes within Louisiana are quarantined for CG.

APHIS continues to work closely with State officials in the affected States to delimit the presence of ACP and to identify any CG infestations that may be present, while assessing what other measures need to be taken in response to these new finds.

Under IPPC Standards, Diaphorina citri is considered to be a pest that is present, only in some areas and subject to official control to limit its spread in the United States.

Under IPPC Standards, 'Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus' is considered to be a pest that is present, only in some areas, and subject to official control to limit its spread in the United States.

Posted Date: Feb. 4, 2009, 9 a.m.