United States Department of Agriculture

Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service

Plant Protection and Quarantine

Commodity Import Evaluation Document (CIED)

Country of Origin: Argentina Date of Request: March. 16, 2009

Commodity: All Anastrepha fraterculus (South American fruit fly) host 

material from the southern part of Mendoza that is currently enterable 

to the United States from other provinces of Argentina without 

mitigations for fruit flies. Mitigations for other pests are still required.

Common name(s): N/A

________________________________________________________________________

Recognition of additional Provinces as Anastrepha fraterculus Pest-Free 

Areas (PFA) for Argentina

Currently, fruit fly host materials without treatment from Argentina may be imported into 

the United States from areas in Argentina that are free of the South American fruit fly 

(SAFF) (Anastrepha fraterculus) [Wiedemann] and other fruit flies, or from areas with

A.fraterculus after an approved APHIS treatment is used to mitigate the pest. APHIS 

currently recognizes the Patagonia region of Argentina, including those areas along the 

valleys of the Rio Colorado and Rio Negro rivers and also including the provinces of 

Neuquen, Rio Negro, Chubut, Santa Cruz, and Tierra del Fuego, in Argentina as free of 

Anastrepha spp. fruit flies.

In 2004, the National Food Safety and Quality Service (Servicio Nacional de Sanidad y 

Calidad Agroalimentaria, SENASA) of Argentina requested an increase to the areas that 

may export fruit fly host material (fruit) to the United States. In response to SENASA’s

request, APHIS conducted site visits (APHIS, 2005; 2009) to the Province of Mendoza to

evaluate the fruit fly program and pest survey protocols, and the phytosanitary risks

associated with importing fruit from the additional area declared by Argentina to be pestfree. Survey and detection protocols must be evaluated and approved by APHIS before 

the PFA is recognized by APHIS. Before host commodities associated with the PFA can 

be imported into the United States, the requirements of 7 CFR 319.56-5 must be met.

This includes following the criteria for establishing and maintaining a PFA in the 

International Standards for Phytosanitary Measures No.4: “Requirements for the 

Establishment of Pest free areas” (IPPC, 1995).
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During the 2009 APHIS site visit, SENASA provided survey data and information 

relating to the establishment and management of the pest-free area known as the Southern 

and Central Oases in the Southern half of the Province of Mendoza. This geographical 

area is a well defined area. There are natural barriers acting as buffer zones between 

populations of fruit flies in the northern part of Mendoza and other areas of Argentina, 

and SENASA has a cooperative program with ISCAMEN (Instituto de Sanidad y Calidad 

Agropecuaria Mendoza), the provincial phytosanitary agency of the Province of 

Mendoza, to reduce and eradicate populations of fruit flies in the northern part of 

Mendoza Province. SENASA and ISCAMEN operate effective barrier stations at all 

border points, road stations, and airports to prevent the entry of quarantine pests and to 

protect pest-free areas. In addition, there are no native hosts, and no fruit trees are found 

outside of cultivated or dooryard areas. Outside of irrigated areas, the entire region is a 

scrub desert with very low rainfall and little or no natural vegetation.

The program to establish and maintain the Province of Mendoza as free of SAFF

followed the same guidelines, protocols and manuals as the other areas of Argentina that 

are currently recognized as fruit fly free. 

SENASA follows international protocols for fruit fly trapping and control programs. The 

trap types, baits and lures, density of traps and servicing intervals are all in accordance 

with IAEA (International Atomic Energy Agency) and APHIS protocols for eradication 

and maintenance of fruit fly pest free areas. SENASA maintains maps of traps and places 

of production. SENASA has an extensive program manual that explicitly describes how 

the program is to be operated. In Mendoza Province, SENASA maintains 28 trap 

networks with 4,728 traps. SENASA maintains quality controls over the trapping 

program. In addition to the extensive trapping program, SENASA samples fruit for fruit 

fly larvae. SENASA indicated during higher risk seasons, the fruit fly trap lines 

increased and other personnel were added to the laboratories to handle the increased 

workload. 

SENASA has an emergency response plan for fruit flies (including SAFF and 

economically important Anastrepha species). Any time there is an outbreak (defined as 

captures of more than one fly or larvae) the plan is activated. The plan is very detailed 

about handling suspicious fruit fly captures and how the program will respond. A grid is 

created around the capture location and additional traps are installed. Fruit sampling and 

eradication activities are initiated. A regulated area is established and regulated fruit 

must be treated before it may be moved from the area. The emergency program will 

continue through three life cycles of the pest (as calculated by degree days). If there are 

no captures during this period the eradication is considered complete and the normal fruit 

fly program resumes.

In summary, activities performed to support the pest-free area in the southern part of 

Mendoza included the following risk management measures: surveillance, audits of trap 

placement, trap methods, trap records, diagnostic tests, post-harvest packing procedures, 

interception and sampling data from destructive analysis, record keeping, and training of 

personnel to maintain phytosanitary security of the importing country (such as 
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safeguarding, buffer maintenance, signage, integrity of exclusionary facility, consignment 

integrity, and pest identification skills). Establishment and maintenance of this of pest 

free area for fruit flies conformed to International Standards for Phytosanitary Measures 

(ISPM) # 4 and (ISPM) # 26, which include systems to establish freedom, phytosanitary 

measures to maintain freedom, and checks to verify freedom has been maintained. These 

PFA components where achieved through data assembly, trapping surveys (delimiting, 

detection and monitoring), regulatory controls, audits and documentation.

In April, 2009, SENASA provided APHIS with a description of the geographic 

boundaries of the portion of Mendoza that is to be included in the pest free area. There is 

no evidence that other fruit flies of economic importance are in the area to be added. In 

December, 2010, SENASA provided confirmation to APHIS that it has been over one 

year since any Anastrepha species fruit flies of economic importance have been found in 

the South and Central Oases in the Province of Mendoza. In fact SENASA has trapped 

in the proposed PFA for over 10 years without trapping any SAFF. SENASA maintains 

that climatic conditions in the Mendoza province are unsuitable for establishment and 

maintenance of populations of Anastrepha species of economic importance, such as 

SAFF. SENASA has detected one species of Anastrepha, Anastrepha alveatoides

Blanchard, in the Province of Mendoza. This species is associated with fruits that are not 

of economic importance.

After reviewing the trip reports from site visits and additional information provided by 

SENASA, as summarized above, I have concluded the southern part of the province of 

Mendoza meets the requirements of 7 CFR 319.56-5 for establishing and maintaining 

pest-free areas. In addition, the survey and emergency action protocols used to determine 

and maintain pest-free status in the province of Mendoza meet APHIS’s approval.

Recommendations:

Based on their review of the survey data, other information and the findings of the 

January - February 2005 and March 2009 site visits APHIS has concluded that the 

southern part Mendoza province in Argentina can be recognized as free of all 

economically important fruit flies in the genus Anastrepha. The southern part of the 

province of Mendoza should be added as a fruit fly free area to the existing Medfly PestFree Areas of Argentina. This action would recognize portions of provinces of Argentina

as free of all economically important Anastrepha spp. and allow the importation of 

Anastrepha spp. fruit fly host material (fruit) into the United States from these areas of 

Argentina without additional mitigations or requirements for Anastrepha spp. fruit flies 

when Anastrepha spp. fruit flies are the only pests of concern.

References

7 CFR 319.56-5. 2008. Code of Federal Regulations. Title 7. Part 319-5 Pest-free areas. 

Office of Federal Register, National Archives and Records Administration, Washington 

DC, USA.
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APHIS. 2005. APHIS fruit fly review trip report, Mendoza, Argentina, January 30-

February 5, 2005. W. Snell, APHIS, 12 pp.

APHIS. 2009. Medfly free status of Mendoza, Argentina, trip report, March 04-20, 2009

with addendum. W. P. Gould, APHIS-PPQ. 27 pp.

IPPC. 1995. International Standards for Phytosanitary Measures No. 4. Requirements for 

the Establishment of Pest Free Areas. Secretariat of International Plant Protection 

Convention. FAO. 4 pp.

________________________________________________________________________

__X___ APPROVED

Conditions of Entry: 

Must meet requirements of 7 CFR 319.56-5 

_____ DISAPPROVED

Justification

Meredith Jones November 19, 2009

___________________________ _________________

Signature (name) Date