United States Department of Agriculture

Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service

Plant Protection and Quarantine

Risk Management Document

Importation of Fresh Fruit of Highbush Blueberry

(Vaccinium corymbosum L.) and its hybrid varieties 

Southern Highbush Blueberry [V. corymbosum x 

angustifolium (V. x atlanticum) and V. corymbosum x 

virgatum] into the Continental United States from Morocco

April 12, 2013

Plant Health Programs (PHP)

Regulations, Permits and Manuals (RPM)

Contact Person: Dorothy C. Wayson
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Introduction

The national plant protection organization (NPPO) of Morocco requested to export fresh fruit of 

highbush blueberry (Vaccinium corymbosum L.) and its hybrid varieties southern highbush 

blueberry [V. corymbosum x angustifolium (V. x atlanticum) and V. corymbosum x virgatum] to

the continental United States. APHIS developed a Pest Risk Assessment (PRA) using the pest 

list provided by the NPPO of Morocco, available scientific literature, and APHIS pest 

interception records (USDA, 2012a). The PRA identified two quarantine pests that are likely to 

follow the pathway of fresh blueberries imported into the continental United States from 

Morocco:

Ceratitis capitata (Wiedeman) (Diptera: Tephritidae) Mediterranean fruit fly

Monilinia fructigena Honey ex Whetzel (Ascomycetes, Heliotales)

The PRA considered the likelihood and consequences of introducing these two pests and

indicated that both pose a High pest risk potential. Pests with high pest risk potential generally

require measures in addition to inspection at the port of entry to mitigate risk (USDA, 2000). 

Subsequent to implementation of a public notice, APHIS proposes to allow export of fresh fruit 

of highbush blueberry (Vaccinium corymbosum L.) and its hybrid varieties southern highbush 

blueberry [V. corymbosum x angustifolium (V. x atlanticum) and V. corymbosum x virgatum]

from Morocco into the continental United States only with the following risk management 

measures.

Risk management measures for importation of blueberries from 

Morocco into the Continental United States

The following measures must be in place for blueberries to be shipped to the continental United 

States from Morocco:

1. Only commercial consignments of blueberries may be imported.

2. Blueberries must be grown in places of production registered with the NPPO of Morocco.

3. During the growing season, blueberries must be field inspected for signs of Monilinia 

fructigena infestation 30 days prior to harvest. Upon detection of the fungal disease, the 

NPPO of Morocco must notify APHIS. APHIS may prohibit the importation into the 

United States of blueberries from the place of production for the season. The exportation 

to the United States of blueberries from the rejected place of production may resume in 

the next growing season if an investigation is conducted and APHIS and the NPPO of 

Morocco agree that appropriate remedial actions have been taken.
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4. Postharvest treatments. All fruit must be treated with one of two APHIS approved 

postharvest treatments: 

a. Cold treatment T107-a. 

b. Methyl Bromide treatment T101-i-1-1.

5. Each consignment of blueberries must be accompanied by a Phytosanitary Certificate 

(PC) issued by the NPPO of Morocco stating that conditions of this section have been 

met, and that the consignment has been inspected and found free of Monilinia fructigena.

6. The blueberry consignments are subject to further inspection at the port of entry into the 

continental United States.

Efficacy of Risk Management Measures

There are two measures discussed in this document for mitigating risk of Mediterranean fruit fly

from fresh blueberries from Morocco. Both Methyl Bromide and cold treatment are approved 

APHIS treatments for Mediterranean fruit fly in blueberries (USDA, 2012b). Both treatments are 

considered to have very high mortality, in the range of 99.9968% mortality for target insects. 

Argentina and Uruguay use these two treatments for Mediterranean fruit fly and have shipped a 

combined total of 7 to 12 thousand metric tonnes of blueberries to the United States each year 

over the last 5 years. This totals over 55 thousand metric tonnes of blueberries, and during this 

period there have only been two pest interceptions; one weed seed and the other a true bug, 

Nysius sp. (AQAS, 2012). There has never been a Mediterranean fruit fly interception in 

blueberries treated with one of these two quarantine treatments.

Cold Treatment: consignment of blueberries may be imported into the continental United States 

if the fruit is treated either in Morocco, in transit, or at the port of first arrival in the United States 

with cold in accordance with T107-a for Ceratitis capitata. APHIS will monitor the treatment 

program and will prescribe such safeguards as may be necessary for unloading, handling, and 

transportation preparatory to cold treatment. The final release of the fruit for entry into the 

United States will be conditioned upon compliance with prescribed safeguards and required 

treatment.

MB Treatment: consignment of blueberries may be imported into the continental United States 

if the fruit is treated in Morocco or at the port of first arrival in the United States with Methyl

Bromide in accordance with T101-i-1-1 for Ceratitis capitata. APHIS will monitor the 

treatment program and will prescribe such safeguards as may be necessary for unloading, 

handling, and transportation preparatory to Methyl Bromide treatment. The final release of the 

fruit for entry into the United States will be conditioned upon compliance with prescribed 

safeguards and required treatment.

Monilinia fructigena is the most common cause of fruit rot in fruit orchards in Europe and Asia, 

causing characteristic brown rot symptoms with conidial pustules often in concentric circles 

(CABI, 2012). Field inspections, packinghouse inspections, and the Phytosanitary Certificate 
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stating disease freedom are considered sufficient mitigation measures for the fungal disease. 

Similar mitigation measures have been used successfully to mitigate Monilinia fructigena on 

China pears (7 CFR §319.56) and Japanese apples.

Registration of places of production will allow trace back and auditing. Any place of production 

found infested with Monilinia fructigena will be removed from the export program. 

Culling at the packing house, while not required in this risk management document, is a standard 

industry practice which removes all obviously blemished, diseased and insect-infested fruits from 

the pathway. 

Summary

APHIS concludes that commercial consignments of blueberries that originate from Morocco may

safely be imported into the continental United States without the risk of introducing Ceratitis 

capitata and Monilinia fructigena using the mitigations listed above. Field inspections, 

packinghouse inspections, and the Phytosanitary Certificate stating freedom of pests of concern 

are considered sufficient mitigation measures for the fungal disease. Either of the two quarantine 

treatments, fumigation with Methyl Bromide or cold treatment is effective to mitigate for 

Mediterranean fruit fly. Blueberries are furthermore subject to standard port of entry inspection 

upon arrival into the continental United States.

Authors

Walter Gould Ph.D.

Senior Risk Manager - Entomology

José R. Hernández Ph.D.

Senior Risk Manager – Plant Pathology

References

AQAS. 2012. Agricultural Quarantine Activity System Pest Interception Database. USDAAPHIS-PPQ. Last accessed Feb. 2012.

CABI, 2012. Crop Protection Compendium (http://www.cabicompendium.org). Last visit: 

March 2012.

USDA. 2000. Guidelines for Pathway-Initiated Pest Risk Assessments. Version 5.02. USDA, 

APHIS, PPQ. Riverdale, MD. 30 pp. 

USDA. 2012a. Importation of Fresh Fruit of Highbush Blueberry (Vaccinium corymbosum

Linnaeus) and its hybrid varieties Southern Highbush Blueberry [V. corymbosum x 

angustifolium (V. x atlanticum) and V. corymbosum x virgatum] into the Continental 

United States from Morocco. A Qualitative, Pathway-Initiated Pest Risk Assessment. 
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USDA, APHIS, PPQ, Riverdale, MD. 25 pp.

USDA. 2012b. Treatment Manual. USDA-APHIS, PPQ;

http://www.aphis.usda.gov/ppq/manuals/port/Treatment_Chapters.htm [accessed Feb. 2012].