APHIS Revises Citrus Greening and Asian Citrus Psyllid Domestic Quarantine Regulatory Requirements for Certain Leaves for Consumption

 

FOR INFORMATION AND ACTION

DA-2015-04

January 26, 2015

 

Subject: APHIS Revises Citrus Greening and Asian Citrus Psyllid Domestic Quarantine Regulatory Requirements for Certain Leaves for Consumption

 

To: State and Territory Agricultural Regulatory Officials

 

The Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) is revising the Asian citrus psyllid (ACP) and citrus greening (CG) domestic quarantine regulations for the interstate movement of fresh, mature leaves of certain plants that are intended for consumption from areas quarantined for ACP and CG.

 

Effective immediately, we are amending the regulations to establish a systems approach under which fresh, mature leaves of kaffir lime, curry, and bael intended for consumption from areas quarantined for CG and ACP may be moved interstate without fumigation or irradiation treatment. An APHIS risk evaluation has determined that the movement of such leaves is unlikely to transmit CG and that a series of mechanical and physical processing methods removes ACP from those leaves. The systems approach will provide an alternative to fumigation with methyl bromide and irradiation treatment while continuing to prevent the dissemination of ACP via the movement of these leaves.

 

A protocol that describes the requirements of the systems approach is attached and is also at http://www.aphis.usda.gov/plant-health/citrus-greening.

 

APHIS will publish a notice of this change in the Federal Register. For additional information, you may call Citrus Health Response Program National Coordinator Prakash Hebbar at 301-851-2228 or National Policy Manager for Citrus Disease Programs Lynn Evans-Goldner at 301-851-2286.

 

 

/s/

Osama El-Lissy

Deputy Administrator

Plant Protection and Quarantine

 

Attachments: Federal Order and Protocol