Effective immediately, the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) is implementing restrictions on all commercial consignments of Mediterranean fruit fly (Ceratitis capitata or Medfly) host commodities imported into the United States from Chile. To mitigate the risk and prevent the introduction of Medfly into the United States, APHIS is requiring all Medfly host commodities from quarantined areas to be treated for Medfly. Medfly host commodities from quarantined areas for which there is no approved APHIS treatment are prohibited entry into the United States. Medfly host material originating from areas in Chile not under quarantine for Medfly must have a phytosanitary certificate issued by Chile’s national plant protection organization, with an additional declaration that the consignment was produced in a pest-free area for Medfly. APHIS is taking this action in response to multiple detections of Medfly in areas within Tarapaca (Region I), Coquimbo (Region IV), and Valparaiso (Region V) in Chile. This action primarily affects the export of clementines, grapes, lemons, mandarins, pomegranates, and tangerines from the quarantine areas. Under this Federal Order, these commodities must be treated for Medfly prior to export by using treatment schedule T107-a, under the existing pre-clearance program in Chile. Before the detection of Medfly in Regions I, IV, and V of Chile, the above-mentioned commodities were commercially enterable into the United States with inspection at the first port of entry and either methyl bromide fumigation treatment or under a systems approach to mitigate for Chilean false red mites (Brevipalpus chilensis). Due to the pest risk, APHIS has determined that additional entry requirements are immediately necessary to prevent the entry of Medfly into the United States on all Medfly host commodities.
