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

FOR INFORMATION AND ACTION
DA-2023-13
September 12, 2023

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

To:  State, Territory, and Tribal Agricultural Regulatory Officials 

On September 1, 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 Santa Clara County, California. The quarantine includes portions of the cities of Santa Clara and Sunnyvale. This action is in response to the confirmed detections of five adult male and one unmated adult female OFF from various sites in Santa Clara and neighboring Sunnyvale by CDFA between July 24 to August 24, 2023. On August 25, CDFA confirmed one additional male in Sunnyvale and one additional unmated female OFF in Santa Clara. All were from traps in various types of fruit 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 112 square miles of Santa Clara County. There are 26.5 acres of commercial agriculture in the quarantine area, including citrus, apricots, and cherries. APHIS is working with CDFA and the Santa Clara County Agricultural Commissioner Division to respond to these detections following program survey, treatment protocols, and regulatory responses. 

The establishment of this quarantine area is reflected on the following website, which contains a description of all current Federal fruit fly quarantine areas: 

http://www.aphis.usda.gov/plant-health/ff-quarantine 

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