APHIS Modifies the Quarantine Requirements for Citrus Black Spot (Phyllosticta citricarpa), and Revises the Packinghouse Procedures for Citrus Fruit from Citrus Black Spot-Quarantined Areas

FOR INFORMATION AND ACTION
DA-2024-30
August 15, 2024

Subject:  APHIS Modifies the Quarantine Requirements for Citrus Black Spot (Phyllosticta citricarpa), and Revises the Packinghouse Procedures for Citrus Fruit from Citrus Black Spot-Quarantined Areas

To: State, Tribal, and Territory Agricultural Regulatory Officials

Effective immediately, USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) is modifying the policies and requirements for the movement of regulated articles and providing a protocol to remove areas from the citrus black spot (CBS) quarantined area. This Federal Order supersedes DA-2012-09. This Federal Order also updates the “APHIS-Approved Packinghouse Procedures for Phyllosticta citricarpa, Causal Agent of Citrus Black Spot (CBS)” that is maintained on the APHIS citrus black spot webpage.

In 2010, APHIS confirmed the first identification of CBS in Collier and Hendry Counties in Florida. The disease is currently confined to portions of seven counties in Southwest Florida. In 2012, APHIS published Federal Order DA-2012-09, which established the conditions for the movement of regulated articles from CBS-quarantined areas. As established in DA-2022-07, leaves for consumption may be moved in accordance with the conditions listed in the “Protocol for the Interstate Movement of Fresh, Mature Rutaceous Leaves for Consumption,” which can be found on the APHIS citrus diseases webpage.

To prevent the spread of CBS outside the quarantined area, this Federal Order establishes requirements for the removal of leaves and other tree debris prior to the movement of vehicles and equipment used to harvest, transport, or that have come into contact with regulated articles. Additionally, APHIS is adding a requirement that disinfection is required for trailers, field boxes, or bins used to transport leaves, stems, debris, culled fruit, or other regulated plant material intrastate to areas outside the quarantined area. This Federal Order also changes the tarping requirements for intrastate movement of citrus fruit to packinghouses and processing facilities. Fruit moving intrastate to packinghouse and processing facilities from CBS-positive groves or groves using the same equipment as CBS-positive groves must continue to be tarped. Fruit leaving certain non-positive groves within the CBS quarantine no longer requires tarping. These modifications protect the citrus industry by reducing the risk of human-assisted spread of the pathogen during intrastate movement. All other conditions for the movement of regulated articles from CBS-quarantined areas remain unchanged, including the requirement for producers, growers, packers, and processors to operate under a compliance agreement.

APHIS is also providing a protocol for the removal of areas quarantined for CBS, which can be found on the APHIS citrus black spot webpage. The protocol requires that the area proposed for removal from quarantine must be within a section of the Public Land Survey System (PLSS) that is located entirely outside a one-mile radius of any CBS-positive trees, and that section must have at least three years of CBS-negative survey data from the time the positive tree that triggered the quarantine was removed. In addition, for groves where a positive tree was detected, documentation (verified by an inspector) or a signed affidavit must be provided that details 1) the removal of the CBS-positive tree and adjacent trees, 2) the removal of tree debris within the area where the trees were removed at the time of tree removal, and 3) that all equipment leaving the CBS-positive area was free of leaves and other tree debris.

Finally, APHIS is also updating the APHIS-approved packinghouse procedures for CBS. After a review of the efficacy of sodium hypochlorite treatments, APHIS is modifying the required pH range for the sodium hypochlorite solution from “6.0 to 7.5” to “5.5 to 7.0”. This change enhances the effectiveness of the treatment and aligns with the requirements listed in the APHIS Treatment Manual for citrus canker. If any further changes are made to the packinghouse procedures, the Administrator will notify state regulatory authorities that a change has occurred and describe the changes to the document.

The attached Federal Order includes the specific changes to the requirements for the interstate movement of regulated articles from CBS-quarantined areas. State agricultural authorities may prescribe additional safeguards and protocols.

A description of all current CBS-quarantined areas, Federal Orders, and other supporting regulatory documents may be found on the APHIS citrus black spot webpage. 

For additional information you may contact:

Abby R. Stilwell
National Policy Manager 
(919) 323-6296
abby.r.stilwell@usda.gov 

/s/

Dr. Mark L Davidson
Deputy Administrator
Plant Protection and Quarantine
Attachment: Federal Order