Mexican avocados present low pest risk, says CDFA
Mexican avocados present low pest risk, says CDFA
The California Department of Food & Agriculture issued a pest exclusion advisory July 18 that reversed its policy of excluding from the state commercial shipments of Mexican avocados containing armored scales, a pest that is of considerable concern to California avocado growers.
The advisory, addressed to inspectors and county agricultural commissioners, stated that "effective immediately, inspectors should no longer reject commercial shipments of produce for consumption due to the presence of armored scales (Diaspididae). This change in policy is the result of an updated pest risk analysis for armored scales conducted by the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Animal & Plant Health Inspection Service. The analysis concludes that the commercial produce shipments for consumption present a low-risk pathway for the introduction of armored scales."
Effective Feb. 1, USDA allowed Mexican-grown Hass avocados to enter California for the first time since the 1920s under a protocol intended to assure that no exotic pests potentially harmful to California's avocado industry would be imported with the fruit.
As shipments of Mexican fruit began crossing into California in February, CDFA inspectors found armored scale pests in some of the loads crossing into the state as well as in Mexican-grown avocados on the Los Angeles Wholesale Produce Market.
CDFA determined that some of the scales were invasive, excludible varieties, but USDA, whose inspectors have jurisdiction at international border crossings, disagreed.
The California Avocado Commission voted unanimously during a March 15 meeting "to take aggressive action against the importation of Mexican avocados with dangerous scale pests coming into California," according to a commission memo. That action was to include a lawsuit against USDA to suspend shipments of Mexican avocados, asserting that the import protocol is defective. The commission urged "regulators to stand firm in their resolve" to reject shipments of Mexican avocados found to contain invasive species of armored scale.
At the urging of CAC and CDFA, the USDA's Animal & Plant Health Inspection Service agreed to review its 1985 risk assessment pertaining to armored scale.
The CDFA's July 18 pest exclusion advisory indicates that APHIS's review of that risk assessment is now complete and that the updated risk analysis concluded that armored scales, even if found on commercial shipments of fruit, have little chance of becoming established in California avocado groves. The Fresh Produce Association of the Americas in Nogales, AZ, which represents companies involved in growing, packing, sales and transportation of fresh fruits and vegetables grown in Mexico, applauded the new CDFA advisory in a press release dated July 20. "That will finally open the California market for consistent and reliable commercial shipments of avocados and mangos from Mexico," the release sated.
FPAA President Lee Frankel said in a press release, "I am extremely happy that CDFA had the willingness to work with USDA to re-analyze and update their pest risk analysis. The FPAA is encouraged to see that [APHIS] took the time to restudy the issue of armored scale and its low risk of infesting other growing regions and commodities.
"Additionally, the FPAA is glad to see that CDFA adopted the USDA's scientific findings and is ending rejections of commercial shipments with armored scale," Mr. Frankel added in the release. "This is especially significant given recent political pressure from some California growers to end shipments of Mexican avocados into the state, contrary to scientific evidence that shows that Mexican avocados have a low risk of spreading agricultural pests into the state."
The California Avocado Commission was not pleased with CDFA's decision, however. "We are very, very disappointed," said Guy Witney, director of industry affairs for the commission. "We still believe that this is not as low risk as [the APHIS scientific advisory] panel concluded," a position that the USDA has now officially adopted. CDFA, which is "really under USDA's umbrella when it comes to those types of foreign policy issues," is "following suit by necessity," he said.
But contrary to the APHIS assessment, the avocado commission believes that "live armored scale on foreign produce entering California poses a significant risk to California agriculture." Given the amount of scale that has been found on Mexican avocados, and the present uncertainty and confusion regarding just which species of scale have been detected on the fruit, "it is very troubling to us that this position has been taken," Mr. Witney said.
"We certainly are not going to leave the issue as resolved," Mr. Witney continued. "Our main thrust now is going to be centered on scientific research," first to identify the species involved and also "to assess the pathways of potential infestation so at least we can mitigate the risk." The avocado industry's experience with invasive pest introductions over the last 15 years has not been good, Mr. Witney said. One species of mite and one species of thrip have found their way into California avocado groves and caused significant increases in the costs of production.
Also disturbing to the industry was the recent news that the light brown apple moth, an invasive species native to Australia and which was detected earlier this year in several Northern California counties, has now found its way into Los Angeles County. Avocados are one of a lengthy list of hosts for the light brown apple moth, which can cause extensive damage to crops.
The advisory, addressed to inspectors and county agricultural commissioners, stated that "effective immediately, inspectors should no longer reject commercial shipments of produce for consumption due to the presence of armored scales (Diaspididae). This change in policy is the result of an updated pest risk analysis for armored scales conducted by the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Animal & Plant Health Inspection Service. The analysis concludes that the commercial produce shipments for consumption present a low-risk pathway for the introduction of armored scales."
Effective Feb. 1, USDA allowed Mexican-grown Hass avocados to enter California for the first time since the 1920s under a protocol intended to assure that no exotic pests potentially harmful to California's avocado industry would be imported with the fruit.
As shipments of Mexican fruit began crossing into California in February, CDFA inspectors found armored scale pests in some of the loads crossing into the state as well as in Mexican-grown avocados on the Los Angeles Wholesale Produce Market.
CDFA determined that some of the scales were invasive, excludible varieties, but USDA, whose inspectors have jurisdiction at international border crossings, disagreed.
The California Avocado Commission voted unanimously during a March 15 meeting "to take aggressive action against the importation of Mexican avocados with dangerous scale pests coming into California," according to a commission memo. That action was to include a lawsuit against USDA to suspend shipments of Mexican avocados, asserting that the import protocol is defective. The commission urged "regulators to stand firm in their resolve" to reject shipments of Mexican avocados found to contain invasive species of armored scale.
At the urging of CAC and CDFA, the USDA's Animal & Plant Health Inspection Service agreed to review its 1985 risk assessment pertaining to armored scale.
The CDFA's July 18 pest exclusion advisory indicates that APHIS's review of that risk assessment is now complete and that the updated risk analysis concluded that armored scales, even if found on commercial shipments of fruit, have little chance of becoming established in California avocado groves. The Fresh Produce Association of the Americas in Nogales, AZ, which represents companies involved in growing, packing, sales and transportation of fresh fruits and vegetables grown in Mexico, applauded the new CDFA advisory in a press release dated July 20. "That will finally open the California market for consistent and reliable commercial shipments of avocados and mangos from Mexico," the release sated.
FPAA President Lee Frankel said in a press release, "I am extremely happy that CDFA had the willingness to work with USDA to re-analyze and update their pest risk analysis. The FPAA is encouraged to see that [APHIS] took the time to restudy the issue of armored scale and its low risk of infesting other growing regions and commodities.
"Additionally, the FPAA is glad to see that CDFA adopted the USDA's scientific findings and is ending rejections of commercial shipments with armored scale," Mr. Frankel added in the release. "This is especially significant given recent political pressure from some California growers to end shipments of Mexican avocados into the state, contrary to scientific evidence that shows that Mexican avocados have a low risk of spreading agricultural pests into the state."
The California Avocado Commission was not pleased with CDFA's decision, however. "We are very, very disappointed," said Guy Witney, director of industry affairs for the commission. "We still believe that this is not as low risk as [the APHIS scientific advisory] panel concluded," a position that the USDA has now officially adopted. CDFA, which is "really under USDA's umbrella when it comes to those types of foreign policy issues," is "following suit by necessity," he said.
But contrary to the APHIS assessment, the avocado commission believes that "live armored scale on foreign produce entering California poses a significant risk to California agriculture." Given the amount of scale that has been found on Mexican avocados, and the present uncertainty and confusion regarding just which species of scale have been detected on the fruit, "it is very troubling to us that this position has been taken," Mr. Witney said.
"We certainly are not going to leave the issue as resolved," Mr. Witney continued. "Our main thrust now is going to be centered on scientific research," first to identify the species involved and also "to assess the pathways of potential infestation so at least we can mitigate the risk." The avocado industry's experience with invasive pest introductions over the last 15 years has not been good, Mr. Witney said. One species of mite and one species of thrip have found their way into California avocado groves and caused significant increases in the costs of production.
Also disturbing to the industry was the recent news that the light brown apple moth, an invasive species native to Australia and which was detected earlier this year in several Northern California counties, has now found its way into Los Angeles County. Avocados are one of a lengthy list of hosts for the light brown apple moth, which can cause extensive damage to crops.
