Last Friday, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) announced $129.2 million in emergency funding to respond to threats associated with the growing number of fruit fly outbreaks in California and Texas.
We thank USDA and Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack for prioritizing this serious issue to protect U.S. agriculture. We are hopeful that with the allocation of these funds, we can work cohesively across the agriculture industry and with our partners in government to eradicate fruit flies from California.
Fruit flies pose a serious threat to over 400 agriculture commodities, including citrus. Economic losses include the destruction and spoiling of fruit by larvae, increased costs due to implementing control measures, and market share loss caused by restrictions on selling and shipping affected products.
According to the press release issued earlier today by USDA, the $129.2 million in funding will combat outbreaks by:
- working with local, state, and international partners to eradicate exotic fruit fly outbreaks domestically and internationally to prevent the spread of these pests and protect the nation’s agriculture and U.S. trade;
- bolstering surveillance systems to detect new incursions; and
- repairing sterile insect facilities in California and Texas and replacing essential equipment to enhance the effectiveness of the program.
To read the full release from USDA, click here.
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