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**United States Department of Agriculture**

**Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service**

**Plant Protection and Quarantine**

**\
**

**Risk Management Document**

***Importation of Fresh Commercial Sweet Orange***

***(*Citrus sinensis *\[L.\] Osbeck) and Grapefruit (*Citrus x paradisi
*Macfad.) Fruit from Chile into the Continental United States***

**March 28, 2007**

**Plant Health Programs (PHP)**

**Commodity Imports Analyses and Operations (CIAO)**

**Contact Person: *Tony Roman***

**1. Introduction**

Chile submitted a market access request in 2006 to the Animal and Plant
Health Inspection Service (APHIS) for importation of fresh orange
(*Citrus sinensis*) and grapefruit (*Citrus* x *paradisi*) fruit from
Chile to the continental United States. This will be an expansion of
existing market access for citrus from Chile since clementines,
mandarins, and tangerines are currently enterable into the United States
from Chile under a systems approach. A draft pest risk analysis for
clementines, mandarins and tangerines was prepared by the Chilean
government (Servicio Agricola y Ganadero, 2002) and submitted to APHIS,
which prepared a Pest Risk Analysis (USDA, 2002). The United States
Department of Agriculture (USDA), APHIS incorporated data from that
Chilean document into a pathway-initiated risk analysis to determine the
unmitigated risks associated with importing fresh orange (*C. sinensis*)
and grapefruit (*C.* x *paradisi*) fruit from Chile (USDA, 2006). The
pest risk analysis document, *Importation of Fresh Commercial Sweet
Orange (Citrus sinensis \[L.\] Osbeck) and Grapefruit (Citrus x paradisi
Macfad.) Fruit from Chile into the Continental United States,* lists
**two** quarantine pests that may follow the pathway of commercial
shipments of fresh sweet oranges and grapefruit. **Both** pests were
rated as high in the Pest Risk Analysis. The APHIS, Plant Protection and
Quarantine Commodity Pest Risk Assessment Guidelines (USDA, 2000) state
that for pests rated high, specific phytosanitary measures beyond a
standard port-of-entry inspection are required to mitigate the plant
pest risk of these **two** pests.

The Pest Risk Analysis identified the following pests as having **high**
unmitigated pest risk potential:

*Ceratitis capitata* (Wiedemann) (Diptera: Tephritidae) Mediterranean
fruit fly

*Brevipalpus chilensis* Baker (Acarina: Tenuipalpidae) Chilean false red
mite

The proposed importation of fresh citrus fruit from Chile, if approved,
would be regulated by amending the existing fruits and vegetables
regulations \[7 CFR § 319.56\]. This document outlines phytosanitary
measures and provides evidence to conclude that these measures will
effectively prevent the introduction of the identified quarantine pests.
The appropriate level of protection may be achieved through the
application of a single phytosanitary measure, such as inspection or a
quarantine treatment, or a combination of measures.

The Plant Protection Act of 2000 (SEC. 401. 7 U.S.C. 7701) defines
"Systems Approach" as "...a defined set of phytosanitary procedures, at
least two of which have an independent effect in mitigating pest risk
associated with the movement of commodities." Similarly, the FAO
Standard for Integrated Measures for Pest Risk Management (FAO, 2002)
proposed that a Systems Approach be defined as, "The integration of
different pest risk management measures, at least two of which act
independently, and which cumulatively achieve the desired level of
phytosanitary protection." Pest risk management is the decision-making
process of reducing the risk of introduction of a quarantine pest (FAO,
1999) Systems Approaches are employed by an importing country as an
alternative to the use of single measures that achieve an appropriate
level of phytosanitary protection when a single phytosanitary measure is
nonexistent, infeasible or undesirable.

Combining specific mitigation measures in a way that provides
overlapping or sequential safeguards is distinctly different from
applying single mitigation methodologies such as fumigation or
inspection. Specific measures may be selected from a range of
pre-harvest and post-harvest measures (e.g., surveys, inspections,
sanitation, chemical treatments, etc) and include mitigation measures to
compensate for uncertainty. PPQ uses systems approaches for the
importation of many commodities including Unshu oranges from Japan (7
CFR § 319.28, 1997), tomatoes from Spain, France, Morocco, and Western
Sahara (7 CFR § 319.56-28, 1997), and peppers from Israel (7 CFR §
319.56-24, 1997). These programs have successfully prevented pests from
reaching the United States for many years.

**History**

Market access for Chilean clementines, mandarins, and tangerines was
approved under a systems approach in 2004 and importation to the United
States began in 2004. From 2004 through 2006 a total of 6,021,670 boxes
have been exported from Chile to the United States (Chilean
Pre-clearance Program, 2007). Inspections of Chilean clementines,
tangerines and mandarins at ports of entry to the United States have
found **no pests** since the program was initiated (Pest Interception
Database, 2007). A total of 14% of the fruit shipped was fumigated upon
entry into the United States as a condition of entry because the fruit
did not come from areas certified free of the mite, *Brevipalpus
chilensis.* None of the fruit shipped to the United States had to be
treated for Mediterranean fruit fly (*Ceratatis capitata)* because APHIS
recognizes Chile, except the Arica Province, as free of Mediterranean
fruit fly.

Approximately 1.6% of the fruit that was inspected by the pre-clearance
program in Chile was rejected because of the presence of pests. Most of
pre-clearance program rejections (72%) were for the mite, *Brevipalpus
chilensis.* The remainder of the rejections were for various hitchhiking
pests including crickets (Gryllidae), adult weevils (Curculionidae),
adult moths, (Noctuidae) and surface feeding pests (Tortricidae - moth
larvae) (Personal communication, Luis Fuentes, Chilean Citrus Program).

# 2. Standard Industry Practices

The PRA for Chilean citrus was developed using the assumption that the
following standard post-harvest procedures will take place: a chlorine
water bath or spray (200 ppm), soapy water wash, high-pressure hot or
cold water wash with brushing, air tunnel or oven drying, coating with
fungicide-impregnated wax, forced hot air drying, pre-selection,
calibration, and packing (Snell, 2006).

3\. Risk Management Measures

**Systems approach option for *Brevipalpus chilensis*:**

All five of the following measures are required for the systems approach
option for Brevipalpus chilensis.

**Production site registration.**

The production site where the fruit is grown must be registered with the
national plant protection organization (NPPO) of Chile. To register, the
production site must provide Chile\'s NPPO with the following
information: production site name, grower name, municipality, province,
region, area planted to each species, number of plants/hectares/species,
and approximate date of harvest. Registration must be renewed annually.

**Determination of low prevalence.**

Between 1 and 30 days prior to harvest, 100 random samples of fruit must
be collected from each registered production site under the direction of
Chile\'s NPPO. These samples must undergo a pest detection and
evaluation method as follows: The fruit and pedicels must be washed
using a flushing method, placed in a 20 mesh sieve on top of a 200 mesh
sieve, sprinkled with a liquid soap and water solution, washed with
water at high pressure, and washed with water at low pressure. The
process must then be repeated. The contents of the sieves must then be
placed on a petri dish and analyzed for the presence of live *B.
chilensis* mites. If a single live *B. chilensis* mite is found, the
production site will not qualify for certification as a low prevalence
production site and will be eligible to export fruit to the United
States only if the fruit is fumigated with methyl bromide at port of
entry. Each production site may have only one opportunity per harvest
season to qualify as a low prevalence production site, and certification
of low prevalence will be valid for one harvest season only. The NPPO of
Chile will present a list of certified production sites to APHIS.

> **Post-harvest processing.**

After harvest and before packing, the fruit must be washed, rinsed in a
chlorine bath, washed with detergent with brushing using bristle
rollers, rinsed with a hot water shower with brushing using bristle
rollers, predried at room temperature, waxed, and dried with hot air.

**Phytosanitary inspection.**

The fruit must be inspected in Chile at an APHIS-approved inspection
site under the direction of APHIS inspectors in coordination with the
NPPO of Chile after the post-harvest processing. A biometric sample will
be drawn and examined from each consignment of fruit, which may
represent multiple grower lots. Consignments with mites will be rejected
from the systems approach. Rejected lots may still be exported to the
United States but require fumigation with methyl bromide.

**Phytosanitary certificate.**

Each consignment of fruit must be accompanied by a phytosanitary
certificate issued by the NPPO of Chile that contains an additional
declaration stating that the fruit in the consignment meets the
conditions of the systems approach and is free of *Brevipalpus
chilensis*.

**Quarantine treatment option for *Brevipalpus chilensis*:**

> **Fumigation.**

Fresh oranges or grapefruit that do not meet the conditions of the
systems approach may be imported into the United States if the fruit is
fumigated either in Chile or at the port of first arrival in the United
States with methyl bromide for *Brevipalpus chilensis* in accordance
with Title 7, Code of Federal Regulations (7 CFR), part 305.. An APHIS
inspector will monitor the fumigation of the fruit and will prescribe
such safeguards as may be necessary for unloading, handling, and
transportation preparatory to fumigation. The final release of the fruit
for entry into the United States will be conditioned upon compliance
with prescribed safeguards and required treatment.

**Pest free area option for *Ceratitis capitata*:**

Production areas in Chile where fruit to be exported to the United
States are grown must be certified free of *Ceratitis capitata* by an
approved trapping program using ISPM standards. All of Chile is
currently free of *Ceratitis capitata,* except Arica Province, which
shares a border with Peru and is currently in the process of eradication
of the Mediterranean fruit fly.

**Quarantine treatment option for *Ceratitis capitata*:**

> **Cold treatment**

If the fruit is produced in an area of Chile where Mediterranean fruit
fly (*Ceratatis capitata*) is known to occur, the fruit must be cold
treated in accordance with 7 CFR part 305. Fruit for which cold
treatment is required must be accompanied by documentation indicating
that the cold treatment was initiated in Chile. Cold treated fruit may
be part of the systems approach for mites, but if mites are present, the
fruits must be fumigated with methyl bromide.

# 4. Summary

There are several measures available for mitigating the pests of concern
from fresh oranges and grapefruit from Chile.

The measures chosen for risk management on fresh oranges and grapefruit
from Chile are summarized in Table 1.

  ------------------------------------------------------------------------
  **Table 1.                          
  Summary of risk                     
  management                          
  requirements for                    
  fresh orange                        
  (*C. sinensis*)                     
  and grapefruit                      
  (*C.* x                             
  *paradisi*) from                    
  Chile.**                            
  ---------------- ------------------ ------------------------------------
  **Measure(s)**   **Pests**          **Efficacy**

  Standard         *Brevipalpus       Pre-clearance program history for
  Industry         chilensis* but     Chilean clementines, mandarins and
  Practices (soap  must be used in    tangerines.
  washes,          conjunction with   
  brushing,        systems approach   
  culling, etc.)                      

  Systems Approach *Brevipalpus       Measures have been effective since
                   chilensis* but     2004 in eliminating pests from
                   must be used in    Chilean clementines, mandarins and
                   conjunction with   tangerines (Pest Interception
                   pest freedom or    Database, March 2007).
                   cold treatment for 
                   *Ceratitis         
                   capitata*          

  Methyl Bromide   All pests, but     Treatment manual (USDA, 2004a)
  Fumigation       mainly for         
  (T-104-a-1 or    *Brevipalpus       
  T-101-n-2-1)     chilensis* when    
                   systems approach   
                   is not applicable  

  Pest Free Area   *Ceratitis         ISPM 22 (FAO, 2005)
                   capitata,* must be 
                   used in            
                   conjunction with   
                   systems approach   
                   and standard       
                   industry practices 
                   or fumigation for  
                   *Brevipalpus       
                   chilensis*         

  Cold Treatment   *Ceratitis         Treatment manual (USDA, 2004a) ISPM
  (T-107a          capitata,* must be 22 (FAO, 2005)
                   used in            
                   conjunction with   
                   systems approach   
                   or fumigation for  
                   *Brevipalpus       
                   chilensis*         
  ------------------------------------------------------------------------

Table 2 shows a summary of the systems approach used for the mite,
*Brevipalpus chilensis.*

+-----------------------+-----------------------------------------------+
| **Table 2. Summary of |                                               |
| systems approach used |                                               |
| for the mite          |                                               |
| *Brevipalpus          |                                               |
| chilensis***          |                                               |
+-----------------------+-----------------------------------------------+
| **Measure(s)**        | **Efficacy**                                  |
+-----------------------+-----------------------------------------------+
| Production Site       | Registration of production sites is required  |
| Registration          | on pre-clearance programs to manage           |
|                       | production site requirements and control      |
|                       | access to the program to only qualified       |
|                       | sites. Commercially grown shipments from      |
|                       | registered production sites use good          |
|                       | agricultural practices to reduce or eliminate |
|                       | pests (FAO, 2003). APHIS pest interception    |
|                       | database indicates that commercial shipments  |
|                       | are much less likely to have pest             |
|                       | interceptions than non-commercial shipments   |
|                       | or passenger baggage.                         |
+-----------------------+-----------------------------------------------+
| Low Prevalence        | Pre-clearance program for other Chilean       |
|                       | citrus has resulted in no interceptions of    |
|                       | mites at United States ports of entry (Pest   |
|                       | Interception Database March 2007).            |
+-----------------------+-----------------------------------------------+
| Postharvest           | After harvest and before packing, the fruit   |
| Processing (Standard  | must be washed, rinsed in a chlorine bath,    |
| Industry Practices)   | washed with detergent with brushing using     |
|                       | bristle rollers, rinsed with a hot water      |
|                       | shower with brushing using bristle rollers,   |
|                       | predried at room temperature, waxed, and      |
|                       | dried with hot air. These mitigations aid in  |
|                       | removing mites from the pathway. (Vincent et  |
|                       | al. 2003)                                     |
+-----------------------+-----------------------------------------------+
| Phytosanitary         | Inspections are recognized as an important    |
|                       | part of a pest management program (Kahn and   |
| Inspection            | Mathur 1999). Even though these mites are     |
|                       | small, trained inspectors can recognize mite  |
|                       | infestations and the damage they cause to the |
|                       | fruits which would allow detection of these   |
|                       | pests in some cases (CABI, 2004; NAPPO, 1998; |
|                       | USDA, 1982; USDA, 2004b; Whittle, 1986)       |
+-----------------------+-----------------------------------------------+
| Phytosanitary         | Requiring a phytosanitary certificate         |
| certification         | requires the NPPO to inspect the fresh        |
|                       | oranges and grapefruits for pests.            |
+-----------------------+-----------------------------------------------+

This document does not purport to establish specific work plans or to
evaluate the quality of a specific program or systems approach. It
identifies risks and provides information regarding known mitigation
measures. The specification and implementation of measures, as would be
present in an operational work plan, is beyond the scope of this
document.

**Authors**

Walter Gould

Senior Risk Manager, CIAO

Tony Roman

Import Specialist, CIAO

# 5. References

CABI. 2004. Crop Protection Compendium, 2004 Edition. CAB International,
Wallingford, UK.

Chilean Pre-clearance Program. 2007. Personal communication on amount of
fruits shipped and pests found. Last accessed March 2007.

FAO. 1999. 1997 International Plant Protection Convention (New Revised
Text). Rome: Secretariat of the International Plant Protection
Convention, United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization.

FAO. 2002. International Standards for Phytosanitary Measures. Glossary
of Phytosanitary Terms, Publication No. 5. UN-FAO-IPPC, Italy.

######## FAO. 2003. Concept paper for the FAO Expert Consultation on Good Agricultural Practices, Rome, 10 -12 November 2003. UN-FAO-IPPC, Italy.

FAO. 2005. International Standards for Phytosanitary Measures.
Requirements for the establishment of areas of low pest prevalence. ISPM
22. UN-FAO-IPPC, Italy.

Kahn, R. P. and S. B. Mathur. 1999. Containment Facilities and
Safeguards. American Phytopathological Society, St. Paul, MN. 213 pp.

NAPPO. 1998. Surveillance for quarantine fruit flies (in a portion of a
generally infested area). NAPPO Regional Standards for Phytosanitary
Measures No. 10. Ottawa: Secretariat of the North American Plant
Protection Organization.

Servicio Agricola y Ganadero. 2002. Mesaures suggested for quarantine
pest risk management in clementines, mandarin oranges and tangerines
exported from Chile to the United States of America. Servicio Agricola y
Ganadero, Govierno de Chile, Santiago, Chile. 108 pp.

Snell, W. 2006. Personal communication: Standard post-harvest procedures
are the same for citrus from Peru as for citrus from Chile.

USDA. 1982. Pests Not Known to Occur in the United States or of Limited
Distribution, No. 24: Rice Cutworm. USDA, APHIS, PPQ, Hyattsville, MD. 8
pp.

USDA. 2000. Guidelines for Pathway-Initiated Pest Risk Assessments.
Version 5.02. USDA, APHIS, PPQ. Riverdale, MD. 30 pp.

USDA. 2002. Importation of Fresh Commercial Citrus Fruit: Clementine
(*Citrus reticulata* Blanco var. *clementine*) Mandarin (*Citrus
reticulata* Blanco) and Tangerine (*Citrus reticulata* Blanco) from
Chile into the United States. A Pathway Initiated Plant Pest Risk
Assessment. USDA, APHIS, PPQ, Riverdale, MD. 74pp.

USDA. 2004a. Treatment Manual. USDA-APHIS, PPQ;
[http://www.aphis.usda.gov/ppq/manuals/port/Treatment_Chapters.htm](http://www.aphis.usda.gov/ppq/manuals/port/Treatment_Chapters.htm )
\[accessed July 2006\].

USDA. 2004b. Agricultural Quarantine Inspection Monitoring (AQIM)
Handbook. USDA-APHIS, PPQ;
[http://www.aphis.usda.gov/ppq/manuals/port/AQIM_Chapters.htm](http://www.aphis.usda.gov/ppq/manuals/port/AQIM_Chapters.htm )
\[accessed July 2006\].

USDA, 2006. Importation of Fresh Commercial Sweet Orange (*Citrus
sinensis* \[L.\] Osbeck) and Grapefruit (*Citrus x paradisi* Macfad.)
fruit from Chile into the United States. A Pathway-Initiated Plant Pest
Risk Analysis. USDA, APHIS, PPQ, CPHST, Raleigh, NC. 61 pp.

Vincent, C., G. Hallman, B. Panneton and F. Fleurat-Lessard. 2003.
Management of agricultural insects with physical control methods. Annu.
Rev. Entomol. 48: 261-281.

Whittle, K. 1986. Pests Not Known to Occur in the United States or of
Limited Distribution No. 74: Cabbage Moth- *Mamestra brassicae* L.
September 1986. USDA, APHIS, PPQ. Hyattsville, MD. 15 pp.