APHIS amends import requirements for blueberries from Peru

Peru currently has market access for blueberries. APHIS requires the blueberries to either be cold treated or fumigated with methyl bromide to mitigate for the fruit flies Anastrepha fraterculus and Ceratitis capitata. There are no other quarantine pests of concern for the blueberries.

Peru has asked APHIS to authorize irradiation at approved irradiation facilities in the United States as an alternate treatment for blueberries.

The regulations in 7 CFR Part 305 authorize irradiation as a treatment for all imported fruits and vegetables when the APHIS Treatment Manual specifies a treatment dosage that neutralizes the pests of concern for that commodity.

The Treatment Manual specifies that the fruit flies A. fraterculus and C. capitata are both neutralized by irradiation at a dosage of 150 Gy. As a result, APHIS is amending the import requirements for blueberries from Peru to authorize irradiation at 150 Gy at approved U.S. irradiation facilities as an alternate treatment option, instead of cold treatment or methyl bromide fumigation. This change was made to the Fruits and Vegetables Import Requirement Database (FAVIR), Fruits and Vegetables Manual, and Treatment Manual on March 13, 2018.

For more information regarding irradiation of imported fruits and vegetables within the United States, go to https://www.aphis.usda.gov/aphis/ourfocus/planthealth/import-information/sa_quarantine_treatments/import-steps-ffv-irradiation-treatment