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

FOR INFORMATION AND ACTION
DA-2022-41
November 23, 2022

To:  State and Territory Agricultural Regulatory Officials 

On November 14, 2022, the USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) and the Texas Department of Agriculture (TDA) removed the Mexican fruit fly (Mexfly) quarantine in Brownsville, Cameron County, Texas, after three generations elapsed with no additional detections in this area. This action releases the final 42.91 square miles of the Brownsville Mexfly quarantine, which contained no commercial citrus acreage. 

APHIS and TDA established the original Harlingen-Brownsville, Cameron County quarantine following the confirmed detections, between January 14 and February 3, 2020, of 79 adult Mexflies and 14 Mexfly larval sites in citrus from various residential areas and 12 commercial groves in Cameron County, Texas. Subsequently, between February 4 and February 11, 2020, APHIS confirmed additional detections of 16 Mexfly adults and 16 larval sites in this area. APHIS and TDA responded to these confirmed detections by expanding the quarantine in Cameron County and restricting interstate movement of regulated articles from this area to prevent the spread of Mexfly to non-infested areas of the United States. APHIS 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 Mexfly quarantine areas, 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