APHIS Expands Mediterranean Fruit Fly Quarantine in Los Angeles County, California

FOR INFORMATION AND ACTION
DA-2023-30
December 15, 2023

Subject: APHIS Expands Mediterranean Fruit Fly Quarantine in Los Angeles County, California

To: State, Territory, and Tribal Agricultural Regulatory Officials

On December 5 and December 8, 2023, the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) and the California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) expanded the Mediterranean fruit fly ( Ceratitis capitata; Medfly) quarantine in the Leimert Park area of Los Angeles County, California. This action is in response to the confirmed detection by CDFA of nine wild adult flies between November 21 and December 1, from traps in fruit trees in residential areas. As a result of these detections, the Leimert Park area quarantine increased by 43 square miles to 141 square miles. There is no commercial agriculture in the quarantine area.

APHIS and CDFA established the original Medfly quarantine on October 18, as described in DA-2023-21, and expanded the quarantine on November 1, November 7 and November 15, as described in DA-2023-23 and DA-2023-28. APHIS is applying safeguarding measures and restrictions on the interstate movement of regulated articles to prevent the spread of Medfly to non-infested areas of the United States, as well as to prevent the entry of these fruit flies into foreign trade. APHIS is working with CDFA and the Agricultural Commissioner of Los Angeles County to respond to these detections following program guidelines for survey, treatment, and regulatory actions.

The expansion of this quarantine area is reflected on the APHIS fruit fly website, which contains a description of all current federal fruit fly quarantine areas. APHIS will publish a notice of these changes in the Federal Register.

For additional information on the 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