May 11, 2007

USDA Issues Quarantine To Prevent LBAM SpreadSource: Various

As of May 2, 2007, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) issued a federal quarantine order restricting interstate movement of cut flowers, cut foliage, plants and other products from several counties in California and the entire state of Hawaii. The purpose of this order is to prevent the spread of the Light Brown Apple Moth (LBAM), Epiphyas postvittana.

APHIS confirmed the presence of LBAM in Alameda County, Calif., on March 22, 2007. Surveillance and trapping have since identified the pest in seven additional California counties.

Under the federal order, all California shipments of host articles originating within 1 1/2 miles of a LBAM detection must be inspected and certified as free of the pest prior to movement. Outside the 1 1/2-mile area, within the quarantined counties, host-article production facilities must undergo a 1-time visual inspection and be certified as LBAM free before moving their products outside the area.

Hawaii was included because LBAM is known to be established in the state, but no data exists on the exact distribution of the pest. All individual shipments of host products leaving Hawaii must be visually inspected and certified as LBAM free before leaving the state.

The federal order was issued after extensive consultation with the Society of American Florists, the California Cut Flower Commission and the American Nursery & Landscape Association.