US: Citrus greening quarantine extended
The new ruling updates protocols enacted in 2010 that quarantined Florida, Georgia along with parts of Louisiana and South Carolina. Quarantined areas include Alabama, Hawaii, Louisiana, Missisippi, Texas and parts of Arizona and California.
President of California Citrus Mutual, Joel Nelsen, praised the USDA for the move.
“We think the rule is very positive,” he said. “It does put more requirements in place but they are designed to protect the industry.”
The quarantine does not restrict fruit shipping, as long as the fruit is free of plant material.
Ray Prewett, president of Texas Citrus Mutual, Mission, said fewer than 900 acres of the Rio Grande Valley’s 28,000 citrus acres are quarantined. Prewett said quarantined citrus groves must be treated with pesticides before harvest to control the psyllid population.
“Fruit itself is not a vector, but you have to make sure there are no stems and leaves on that fruit,” he said.
He pointed out that, after packing, there were no restrictions on movement of citrus.
Source: agprofessional.com
