Clarification on Field Cleaning Requirements for Movement of Bulk Citrus
To clarify the approved mitigation measures for bulk citrus fruit movement, the California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) has updated the Asian Citrus Psyllid (ACP)-Free Declaration form. The current options that allow growers to meet the ACP-free standard when shipping fruit to a different ACP regional quarantine zone are the “spray and harvest,” “field cleaning with machine” and “wet wash” methods. Field cleaning must be done by machine, not by hand.
Effective immediately, any grower who wishes to utilize a mitigation measure other than the three listed above must be granted approval prior to harvest. Growers are required to submit an ACP-Free Declaration form to the originating county agricultural commissioner’s (CAC) office describing all the steps in detail for the proposed mitigation method. The originating CAC will then notify CDFA regarding the grower’s proposed mitigation method to get CDFA’s approval that the ACP-free performance standard will be met.
Important Documents:
- ACP-Free Declaration Form: All shipments of bulk fruit leaving the ACP bulk citrus regional quarantine zones must be accompanied by this completed ACP-Free Declaration form. A copy of the ACP-Free Declaration form must be submitted to the originating CAC office at least 72 hours in advance of harvest and must be provided to the receiving packer or processor upon delivery. The receiving CAC must also be notified at least 24 hours in advance of shipment.
- Huanglongbing (HLB) Pest Risk Mitigation Form: All shipments of bulk fruit moving within or from an HLB quarantine area must be accompanied by this completed HLB Pest Risk Mitigation form. A copy of the HLB Pest Risk Mitigation form must be submitted to the originating CAC office and be provided to the receiving packer or processor upon delivery.
- Information for Citrus Growers/Grove Managers in an Asian Citrus Psyllid Bulk Citrus Regional Quarantine Zone or Huanglongbing Quarantine Area
For questions regarding this notification, please contact Keith Okasaki at keith.okasaki@cdfa.ca.gov or at (916) 654-0312.