APHIS Removes Doña Ana County in New Mexico From the Imported Fire Ant (Solenopsis invicta and S. richteri) Quarantined Area

FOR INFORMATION AND ACTION
DA-2025-34
August 19, 2025

Subject: APHIS Removes Doña Ana County in New Mexico from the Imported Fire Ant (Solenopsis invicta and S. richteri) Quarantined Area

To: State, Tribal, and Territory Agricultural Regulatory Officials

Effective immediately, the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) is removing the entire area of Doña Ana County, New Mexico, from the imported fire ant (Solenopsis invicta and S. richteri; IFA) quarantined area. APHIS is removing this county based on three consecutive years of negative survey results in accordance with criteria listed in the “Guidelines for Deregulation” in the Imported Fire Ant Program Manual (5.93 MB). The attached Federal Order includes the associated reference to 7 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) §§ 301.81 through 301.81-11 that lists the provisions for establishing and updating quarantined areas, and the interstate movement of IFA-regulated articles from quarantined areas.

The Federal IFA quarantine prevents artificial (human-assisted) spread of IFA. In 1999, Doña Ana County, New Mexico, became the only county in the State quarantined for IFA. With this change, the remaining States federally regulated for IFA are Alabama, Arkansas, California, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, and the United States territory of Puerto Rico.

The APHIS IFA webpage contains the full lists of IFA-quarantined areas and regulated articles. APHIS will publish a notice of this change in the Federal Register.

For additional information regarding the APHIS IFA Program, you may contact:

Ron Weeks
National Policy Manager
Ron.D.Weeks@usda.gov
919-559-4311

/s/

Matthew A. Rhoads
Acting Deputy Administrator
Plant Protection and Quarantine

Attachment: Federal Order