Detections of the Asian Citrus Psyllid In Tulare Country Restrict Citrus Movement
Sacramento, CA
By ANUK Staff
12.4.12
Due to detections of the Asian citrus psyllid (ACP) in the Lindsay/Strathmore and Terra Bella areas, an estimated 163-square miles in Tulare County will be restricted for the movement of citrus fruit and citrus plants. The restrictions will cover two zones. Each zone encompasses a five-mile radius surrounding the find sites.
Because of variations with standard quarantine protocol for this pest, the areas where these restrictions are being implemented are technically not considered a quarantine. These restrictions are an interim step to establish protection against spread of the ACP while CDFA and the Tulare County Agricultural Commissioner’s office continue to evaluate whether the detections are evidence of an established ACP population, or non-breeding hitchhikers brought into the corridor along State Highway 65 from infested counties in Southern California, according to a press release.
The movement of nursery stock out of the zones is prohibited unless it has been grown in approved pest-resistant structures. Citrus fruit may move outside the zones if it has been commercially cleaned and packed. This includes the removal of stems and leaves.
The ACP has not been detected in Tulare County and, to date, has been found at just one property in California in Hacienda Heights, Los Angeles County. The University of Florida estimates the disease has caused more than 6,600 lost jobs, $1.3 billion in lost revenue to growers and $3.6 billion in lost economic activity.
CDFA
