APHIS Removes an Oriental Fruit Fly (Bactrocera dorsalis) Quarantine in San Jose, Santa Clara County, California

FOR INFORMATION AND ACTION
DA-2022-24
July 8, 2022

 

Subject:           APHIS Removes an Oriental Fruit Fly (Bactrocera dorsalis) Quarantine in San Jose, Santa Clara County, California

To:                   State and Territory Agricultural Regulatory Officials

Effective June 27, 2022, the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) and the California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) removed the Oriental fruit fly (Bactrocera dorsalis or OFF) quarantine in the San Jose area of Santa Clara County, California.

On September 30, 2021, APHIS and CDFA established an OFF quarantine in the San Jose area of Santa Clara County and restricted interstate movement of regulated articles from this area to prevent the spread of OFF to non-infested areas of the United States. This action was necessary for response to the confirmed detections of six adult male OFF from the San Jose area by CDFA between September 13 and September 24, all from traps in various types of fruit trees in residential areas. By October 4, CDFA confirmed the seventh male OFF in the vicinity of the earlier finds, which expanded the quarantine further.

Since then, APHIS has worked cooperatively with CDFA and the Santa Clara County Agricultural Commissioner’s office to eradicate the transient OFF population through various control actions per program protocols. APHIS removed the quarantine area after three OFF life cycles elapsed with negative detections in this area.

The following website contains a description of all the current Federal fruit fly quarantine areas:

http://www.aphis.usda.gov/plant-health/ff-quarantine

For additional information on the Oriental fruit fly quarantine area, please contact Fruit Fly National Policy Manager, Richard Johnson, at (301) 851-2109 or richard.n.johnson@usda.gov.

 

/s/

Dr. Mark L Davidson

Deputy Administrator

Plant Protection and Quarantine