APHIS Establishes an Oriental Fruit Fly (Bactrocera dorsalis) Quarantine in Sacramento County, California

FOR INFORMATION AND ACTION
DA-2023-16
September 27, 2023

Subject:  APHIS Establishes an Oriental Fruit Fly (Bactrocera dorsalis) Quarantine in Sacramento County, California

To: State, Territory, and Tribal Agricultural Regulatory Officials

On September 22, 2023, the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) and the California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) established an Oriental fruit fly (Bactrocera dorsalis or OFF) quarantine in Sacramento County, California. This action is in response to the confirmed detections of eight adult male OFF from various sites in the cities of Sacramento and Rancho Cordova by CDFA between September 12 and September 17, 2023. CDFA confirmed one additional maleOFF from Rancho Cordova on September 19 and one unmated female OFF from Sacramento on September 20. All were from traps in various types of trees in residential areas.

APHIS is applying safeguarding measures and restrictions on the interstate movement or entry into foreign trade of regulated articles from the area to prevent the spread of OFF to non-infested areas of the United States. In cooperation with CDFA, APHIS is establishing a quarantine area, which encompasses 105.9 square miles of Sacramento County. There is no commercial agriculture in the quarantine area. APHIS is working with CDFA and the Sacramento County Agricultural Commission to respond to these detections following program guidelines for survey, treatment, and regulatory response.

The establishment of this quarantine area is reflected on the APHIS fruit fly website, which contains a description of all current federal fruit fly quarantine areas.

For additional information on the Oriental fruit fly 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