APHIS Adds Jefferson, Lafourche, Plaquemines, St. Charles, St. James, and St. John Parishes in Louisiana to the Domestic Citrus Canker (Xanthomonas spp.) Quarantine Area

FOR INFORMATION AND ACTION

DA-2017-19

June 9, 2017

 

 

Subject:           APHIS Adds Jefferson, Lafourche, Plaquemines, St. Charles, St. James, and St. John Parishes in Louisiana to the Domestic Citrus Canker (Xanthomonas spp.) Quarantine Area

 

To:                   State and Territory Agricultural Regulatory Officials

 

Effective immediately, the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) is expanding the area quarantined for citrus canker in Louisiana.

 

APHIS established a quarantine on February 10, 2014, (DA-2014-08) following the positive identification of Xanthomonas spp., the bacterial causal agent of citrus canker, from a sweet orange tree located in New Orleans, Louisiana. APHIS further updated this quarantine on June 2, 2016 (DA-2016-35), to add portions of several parishes.

 

The attached Federal Order adds the entire parishes of Jefferson, Lafourche, Plaquemines, St. Charles, St. James, and St. John to the citrus canker (Xanthomonas spp.) quarantine in Louisiana. Louisiana has established an intrastate quarantine area for citrus canker that parallels the federal citrus canker regulatory requirements specified in 7 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) 301.75.

 

Under the current citrus canker quarantine regulations, the interstate movement of citrus plants and plant parts, other than commercially packed and disinfected citrus fruit, remains prohibited with the following exception: citrus nursery stock that is moved in accordance with regulations contained in 7 CFR 301.76 may move from areas quarantined for citrus canker.

 

For additional information regarding the citrus canker program, you may call Citrus Disease National Policy Manager Angela McMellen Brannigan at 301-851-2314.

 

 

 

Osama El-Lissy

Deputy Administrator

Plant Protection and Quarantine

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

FEDERAL ORDER 

Domestic Quarantine for Jefferson, Lafourche, Plaquemines, St. Charles, St. James and St.

John Parishes in Louisiana for Citrus Canker (Xanthomonas spp.)

 

DA-2017-19

June 9, 2017

 

 

The purpose of this Federal Order is to prevent the spread of citrus canker, caused by Xanthomonas spp.[1] This Federal Order is issued in accordance with the regulatory authority provided by the Plant Protection Act of June 20, 2000, as amended, Section 412(a), 7 U.S.C. 7712(a). The Act authorizes the Secretary of Agriculture to prohibit or restrict the movement in interstate commerce of any plant, plant part, or article, if the Secretary determines the prohibition or restriction is necessary to prevent the dissemination of a plant pest within the United States. This Federal Order is likewise issued pursuant to the regulations promulgated under the Plant Protection Act found at 7 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) 301.75 et. seq.

 

This Federal Order supersedes the citrus canker Federal Order DA-2016-35 for Louisiana issued on June 2, 2016, and revises the areas quarantined for citrus canker in Louisiana.

 

Addition of Quarantined Area

 

Effective immediately, this Federal Order adds the entire parishes of Jefferson, Lafourche, Plaquemines, St. Charles, St. James, and St. John to the citrus canker quarantine area in Louisiana. We have determined that these areas in Louisiana meet the criteria in 301.75-4 (b) of the regulation to be designated as quarantined areas.

 

To prevent the spread of citrus canker, the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) Administrator finds it necessary to regulate the entire parishes of Jefferson, Lafourche, Plaquemines, St. Charles, St. James, and St. John in Louisiana. Accordingly, effective immediately, all interstate movement of citrus canker regulated articles from these areas must be done in accordance with the regulations promulgated in the Plant Protection Act found at 7 CFR 301.75 et seq. and any applicable provisions of this Federal Order.

 

The establishment of this quarantine area is reflected on the following designated website, which contains a description of all the current federal citrus canker quarantine areas:

 

http://www.aphis.usda.gov/plant-health/citrus-canker

 

Section 7 CFR 301.75-4 (d) allows the designation of less than an entire state as a citrus canker regulated area only when the APHIS Administrator has determined, as in this case, that the designation of less than an entire state is adequate to prevent the interstate spread of infestations of citrus canker. In addition, 7 CFR 301.75-4 (d) (2) requires that the state enforce an intrastate citrus canker quarantine that is equivalent to the federal citrus canker regulations. The State Plant Regulatory Official for Louisiana has confirmed the establishment of an intrastate quarantine area for citrus canker that mirrors the federal regulatory requirements as specified in 7 CFR 301.75.

 

Section 7 CFR 301.75-4 (b) provides for the temporary designation of new regulated areas pending publication of a rule to add the new areas to the list shown in 7 CFR 301.75-4 (a). Section 7 CFR 301.75-4 (b) further requires written notification be given to the owner or person in possession of a newly quarantined area. This is the responsibility of the federal and/or state regulatory personnel responsible for the citrus canker program in the affected state.

 

For additional information regarding the citrus canker program, you may call Citrus Disease National Policy Manager Angela McMellen Brannigan at 301-851-2314.

 

We appreciate the cooperative relationship with the state regulatory officials and citrus industry in Louisiana in our efforts to prevent the spread of citrus canker.

Quarantine Boundaries

 

 This Federal Order updates the quarantined area for citrus canker in Louisiana. The quarantine area in Louisiana is as follows:

 

Jefferson Parish: Entire parish

Lafourche Parish: Entire parish

Orleans Parish: Entire parish

Plaquemines Parish: Entire parish

St Bernard Parish: Entire parish

St. Charles Parish: Entire parish

St. James Parish: Entire parish

St. John Parish: Entire parish