A quarantine on the shipment of Florida citrus to fellow US citrus-producing states could be set to come to an end following the publishing of a proposed United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) ruling in the Federal Register this week.
The USDA first put quarantine conditions in place during 2007 in response to the threat of citrus canker, with Florida the only US state with recorded instances of the disease.
However, the USDA has now proposed the elimination of packhouse inspections to ensure that the fruit is free from canker, a move that could save US$9m.
'We have determined that currently available scientific evidence provides additional certainty that commercially packed, treated fruit is not an epidemiologically significant pathway for the spread of citrus canker,' the USDA said in the proposal.
The USDA said that the new regulations would still require fruit moved from a quarantined area to be treated with an approved disinfectant and to be packed in a commercial packinghouse that operates under a compliance agreement.
Comments on the proposal are being encouraged, and all those made before 31 August will be considered by the USDA before making a decision on implementing the rule.
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