APHIS Reduces the Mexican Fruit Fly (Anastrepha ludens) Quarantine Area in Brownsville, Cameron County, Texas

FOR INFORMATION AND ACTION
DA-2022-29
August 29, 2022

To:   State and Territory Agricultural Regulatory Officials 

On August 18, 2022, the USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) and the Texas Department of Agriculture (TDA) released portions of the Brownsville, Cameron County, Texas, Mexican fruit fly (Mexfly) quarantine area after three Mexfly life-cycles elapsed with no additional detections in these areas. As a result of the release of these areas, which totaled 57.46 square miles, the Brownsville Mexfly quarantine area now encompasses 96.28 sq. mi. The amount of commercial citrus in the quarantine area has not changed and remains at 321.9 acres. 

APHIS and TDA established the original Cameron County quarantine following the confirmed detections, between January 14 and February 3, 2020, of 80 adult Mexflies and 14 Mexfly larval sites in citrus from various residential areas and two commercial groves in Cameron County, Texas. Subsequently, between February 4 and February 11, 2020, APHIS confirmed additional 17 Mexfly adults and 16 larval detections. APHIS and TDA responded to these additional confirmed detections by expanding the quarantine in Cameron County, and restricted interstate movement of regulated articles from this area to prevent the spread of Mexfly to non-infested areas of the United States. APHIS has worked cooperatively with TDA to eradicate the transient Mexfly population through various control actions per program protocols. 

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 Mexfly 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