Farmers within a 250km2 quarantine area in Fresno county will be required to follow strict restrictions on the movement of crops, equipment and plant material, following the detection of the European grapevine moth in the area.
Particularly troubling to growers is the chance table grapes may need to be fumigated before being shipped out of the quarantine area.
"That is going to be really hard on the grapes. It wears them out," cold storage facility manager Richard Sullivan told the Fresno Bee.
The California Department of Food and Agriculture's Nick Condos said fumigation might be demanded by US trading partners before they accept the fruit.
Over 40 per cent of California's table grapes are exported, with Mexico and Canada the biggest recipients.
Mexican officials already have told officials they will not accept table grapes from a county where a quarantine for the moth has been implemented.
A USDA official said the organisation was working with Mexican authorities to put protocols in place, but added that other countries could stop shipments, including Australia, New Zealand, Chile, Peru and Canada.
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