Cactus Moth (Cactoblastis cactorum) |
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Current USDA Cactoblastis cactorum Host Regulations and Potential Changes
A Proposed Rule for regulating the domestic movement of hosts of the South American Cactus Moth, Cactoblastis cactorum, is now open for comment until April 11, 2008. To access the rule and comment, please go to the Regulations.gov website link below:
http://www.regulations.gov/fdmspublic/component/main?main=DocketDetail&d=APHIS-2006-0153
Current Regulations
Territorial and Domestic Quarantines
USDA, APHIS, PPQ’s quarantine, 7 CFR 318.13 and 318.58 currently prohibits or restricts the movement of all cactus (Cactaceae) plants and cactus parts from Hawaii, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands and to the US mainland and between those areas because of Cactoblasits cactorum. There are currently no other federal domestic regulations restricting the movement of potentially infected Opuntia nursery stock or products for consumption within the continental US.
Foreign Quarantines
Nursery stock from all foreign countries, are restricted only by specified size requirements by quarantine CFR 319.37. All imported plants and cuttings for planting require a phytosanitary certificate with an additional declaration that the shipment has been inspected and found free of C. cactorum. Inspection of these imports is required at USDA, APHIS plant inspection stations. C. cactorum is considered an actionable quarantine pest, meaning if it is intercepted in commercial shipments, the plant material requires fumigation, destruction, or return to the country of origin.
Opuntia fruit (tunas) and leaves (pads, cladodes, nopales) for consumption are currently permitted from certain countries after a risk assessment is conducted. Currently 7 CFR 319.56 allows Opuntia leaves and fruit for consumption from Mexico and Colombia, countries where C. cactorum is not known to occur. Fruits are currently allowed from other countries that have C. cactorum, but only for importation into northern ports.
The importation or interstate movement of live C. cactorum insects is prohibited without an APHIS permit.
New Regulations Under Consideration
Territorial and Domestic Quarantines
The current territorial and Hawaii regulations unnecessarily restricts the movement of all cactus species when only certain cactus genera are considered hosts of C. cactorum. The changes to 7 CFR 318.13 and 318.58 under consideration would prohibit the known hosts live plants or plant parts excluding seeds, movement to the mainland, those host genera being Opuntia spp., Nopalea spp., Cylindropuntia spp., and Consolea spp. There would be no restrictions on movement of these hosts or other cactus species between territories or Hawaii.
Also under consideration is a continental U.S. regulation restricting the movement of live plants or plant parts excluding seeds, of Opuntia spp., Nopalea spp., Cylindropuntia spp., and Consolea spp. from states with C. cactorum ( Alabama, Florida, Georgia, and South Carolina) to uninfested parts of the United States.
Only plants meeting the following certification requirements can move from infested states to non-infested parts of the United States:
- host material is to be grown in a greenhouse or shadehouse
- no host material maintained or naturalized on the property outside the greenhouse or shadehouse
- host plants in the greenhouse or shadehouse are to be placed on separate benches at least 12 feet from benches with non-host plants
- host plants intended for shipping to non-infested states are to be placed on a 21-day insecticide spray cycle and sprayed with Bacillus thuringiensis subsp. kurstaki, carbaryl, spinosad or imidaploprid at labeled rates if maintained in the nursery for longer than 21 days and
- they must be sprayed 3-5 days prior to shipment to non-infested states. A limited permit will be issued after an inspector verifies the conditions above and the shipment has been inspected and found free of cactus moth larvae, damage, and egg-sticks.
Foreign Quarantines
Because the internal feeding habit of C. cactorum larvae presents difficulty in the inspection of Opuntia and other host plants and plant parts, APHIS is considering prohibiting the importation of live plants or plant parts, excluding seeds, of Opuntia spp., Nopalea spp., Cylindropuntia spp., and Consolea spp from all countries with C. cactorum. This would amend the 7 CFR 319.37 quarantine for plants for planting and 319.56 for fresh fruits and vegetables to prohibit importation in the United States such articles from the following countries: Antigua , Argentina, Ascension Island, Australia, Bahamas, Botswana, Brazil, Cayman Islands, Cuba,Dominican Republic, Dominica, Guadeloupe, Haiti, Jamaica, Lesotho, Mauritius, Montserrat, Namibia, Nevis, New Caledonia, Paraguay, South Africa, St. Helena, St. Lucia, St. Vincent, St. Kitts, Swaziland, Tanzania, Trinidad and Tobago, Uruguay, Republic of .Zimbabwe, and except for counties which practice official control of C. cactorum according to international standards set forth by the International Plant Protection Convention.
Contact: Joel Floyd, USDA, APHIS, PPQ, for any questions/clarifications.