In late December 2015, the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service of the United States (APHIS) announced the suspension of imports of Spanish peppers to mitigate the risk of the entry of exotic pests and diseases.
Specifically, it issued a statement on 29 December which specified that the entry of peppers (Capsicum annuum) from Spain would be banned after the presence of Mediterranean fruit fly in shipments from Spain was confirmed. Therefore, the U.S. market will remain closed to pepper exporters for the remainder of the 2015-2016 campaign.
"At first, the export of peppers was only prohibited to three Almeria-based companies following the detection of Mediterranean fruit fly in their shipments, but eventually, after some more detections, other companies shipping directly to this country have also been affected," explains José Antonio Baños, president of EJIDOMAR, one of the exporting companies affected. "Given the higher than usual temperatures registered this campaign, fruit flies have thrived, thus increasing the risks of detections during times when there are rarely any problems."
In the words of the exporter, "it is a pity, because the United States was paying good prices for peppers compared with those achieved in the rest of Europe. Moreover, it appears that Mexico does not have much produce available right now. From this time onwards we were expecting a very good campaign in the United States during the months of January and February, since the quality of the peppers is improving compared with the beginning of the season. Fortunately, we can still ship them to the Canadian market."