United States Department of Agriculture Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service Plant Protection and Quarantine



## Risk Managem ent Document



## Importation of Fresh Pepper

– Capsicum annuum L., Capsicum baccatum L., Capsicum chinense Jacq, Capsicum frutescens L., and Capsicum pubescens Ruiz & Pav.

– Fruit with Stems from Central Americ a into the United States

January 15, 2010

Plant Health Programs (PHP) Commodity Import Analy si s and Operations (CIAO) Contact Person: David Lam bRev. 5 January 15, 2010 3 Introduction This risk management document was prepared to provide risk management strategies for peppers from Panama following the development of a commodity

- based, pathway

- initiated risk anal ys is (PRA) that was conducted by the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA)
. In 2004, APHI S prepared a pest risk assessment (PRA) to examine plant pest risks associated with the importation of fresh pepper fruit with stems ( Capsicum spp., specifically the domesticated species Capsicum annuum L., C. baccatum L., C. chinense Jacq, C. frutescens L., and C. pubescens Ruiz & Pav. ) in response to a request by the governments of Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua (APHI S, 2004)
. In 2008 in response to a request from Panama , APHI S updated the risk assess ment document, and included Panama as an exporting country (APHIS 2009)
. T h e PRA considered the risk associated with the import of several species of Capsicum ( C. annuum , C. frutescens , C. baccatum , and C. chinense ) because of taxonomic uncertainty regarding the species status ( Walsh and Hoot, 2001 ) and because wild populations of C. annuum merge with populations of C. frutescens and C. chinense ( Eshbaugh, 1993 ). There is a wide overlap of common name usage among all domesticated Capsicum species ( Bosland, 1996 ), so other two cultivated species ( C. pubescens and C. baccatum ) were also included in the PRA
. Title 7 of the Code of Federal Regulations 319 Part 56 ( 7 CFR § 319., 2007 ) provides regulatory authority for the importation of fruits and vegetabl es from foreign sources into the United States. The PRA lists 12 quarantine pests that may follow the pathway of fresh peppers from Central America . The pests include eight insects, one bacterium , one fungus , and two viruses , the pest risk potential of all of these pests is rated H igh : Insects Anastrepha ludens (Loew) (Diptera: Tephritidae)

- Mexfly Ceratitis capitata Wiedemann ( Diptera: Tephritidae )

- Medfl y Faustinus ovatipennis (Champion) ( Coleoptera: Curculionidae )

- weevil Liriomyza huidobrensis (Bl anchard) ( Diptera: Agromy zidae )

– pea leafminer Neoleucinodes elegantalis (Guenée) ( Lepidoptera: Crambidae )

– tomato fruit borer Phenacoccus parvus Morrison ( Hemiptera: Pseudococcidae )

– lantana mealy bug Planococcus minor (Maskell) ( Hemiptera: Pseudococci dae )

– passion vine mealy bug Thrips palmi Karny ( Th ysanoptera: Thripidae )

– melon thrips Bacterium Ralstonia solanacearum race 3 biovar 2 (Smith) Yabuuchi et al. ( Burkholderiales ) Fungus Puccinia pampeana Speg. (Urediniom ycet es: Uredinales )

– rust fungus VirusesRev. 5 January 15, 2010 4 Andean potato mottle virus (APMoV) ( Comoviridae ) Tomato severe leaf curl virus (ToSL CV) ( Geminiviridae ) Risk Mitigation Measures The requirements for the importation of peppers from certain Central American countries are listed in the Code of Federal Regulations § 319.56
- 40 . The addition of Panama as an importing country in the PRA did not significantl y change the pest list and therefore the risk mitigations are the same , except that i n the revised PRA Capsicum sp p. is reported as a minor host for Opogo na sacchari . Further , there have been no interceptions of O

. sacchari associated with Capsicum sp p. imports. Therefor e, the banana moth Opogona sacchari , is now listed a s not follow ing the pathway of fresh peppers, and has been removed from the list of pests that are inspected for in the risk mitigations below. Also, tomato yellow mosaic virus has been dropped from the previous list of pests (need justification). Bacterial wilt Ralstonia solanacearum race 3 biovar 2 and tomato severe leaf curl (need mitigations) (Note: Inreference to item ( c ) below, the PRA indicated that the only

field host of Mexican fruit fly ( A. ludens ) is C

. pubescens
. Capsicum annuum is a host of A. ludens , and other Anastrepha species, such as A. distincta , A obliqu a , and A. serpentin a , but only

under laboratory

conditions with artificial infestation , so those fruit fly species were not included in the PRA and hence mitigation measures not included in the risk management document. The PRA found no evidence that A

. ludens or the other Anastrepha species affect C

. annuum in the field. The following mitigations are listed under § 319.56
- 40 as requirements for importation of peppers. § 319.56 - 40 Peppers from certain Central American countries. Fresh peppers (Capsicum spp.) may be imported into the United States from Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras , Nicaragua and Panama only under the following conditions and in accordance with all other applicable provisions of this subpart: (a) For peppers of the speci es Capsicum annuum, Capsicum frutescens, Capsicum baccatum, and Capsicum chinense from areas free of Mediterranean fruit fl y (Medfly), terms of entry are as follows: (1) The peppers must be grown and packed in an area that has been determined by APHI S to be free of Medfl y in accordance with the procedures described in §319.56

– 5 of this subpart. (2) A pre

- harvest inspection of the growing site must be conducted b y the national plant protection organization (NPPO) of the exporting country for the weevil Faustinus ovatipennis , pea leafminer, tomato fruit borer, lantana meal ybug, passionvine meal ybug, melon thrips, the rust fungus Puccinia pampeana, tomato severe leaf curl , Ralstonia solanacearum race 3 biovar 2

, Andean potato mottle virus
. , and if these pe sts are found to be generally infesting the growing site, the NPPO may

not allow export from that production site until the NPPO has determined that risk mitigation has been achieved.Rev. 5 January 15, 2010 5 (3) The peppers must be packed in insect

- proof cartons or containers or covered with insect

proof mesh or plastic tarpaulin at the packinghouse for transit to the United States. These safeguards must remain intact until arrival in the United States. (4) The exporting country's NPPO is responsible for export certification, in spection, and issuance of phy tosanitary certificates. Each consignment of peppers must be accompanied by a phy tosanitary certificate issued by

the NPPO and bearing the declaration, “These peppers were grown in an area recognized to be free of Medfl y . ” and the consignment has been inspected and found free of the pests listed in the requirements.” (b) For peppers of the species Capsicum annuum , Capsicum frutescens , Capsicum baccatum , Capsicum chinense , and Capsicum pubescens from areas in which Medfl y is con sidered to exist: (1) The peppers must be grown in approved production sites registered with the NPPO of the exporting country . Initial approval of the production sites will be completed jointly by the exporting country's NPPO and APHIS. The exporting country's NPPO will visit and inspect the production sites monthly, starting 2 months before harvest and continuing through until the end of the shipping season. APHI S may monitor the production sites at any time during this period. (2) Pepper production sit es must consist of pest

- exclusionary greenhouses, which must have double self

- closing doors and have all other openings and vents covered with 1.6 mm (or less) screening. (3) Registered sites must contain traps for the detection of Medfl y both within and around the production site. (i) Traps with an approved protein bait must be placed inside the greenhouses at a density of four traps per hectare, with a minimum of two traps per greenhouse. Traps must be serviced on a weekl y basis. (ii) If a single Medfl y is detected inside a registered production site or in a consignment, the registered production site will lose its ability to export peppers to the United States until APHI S and the exporting country's NPPO mutually determine that risk mitigation is achie ved. (iii) Medfly

traps with an approved lure must be placed inside a buffer area 500 meters wide around the registered production site, at a density of 1 trap per 10 hectares and a minimum of 10 traps. These traps must be checked at least every 7 day s. At least one of these traps must be near the greenhouse. Traps must be set for at least 2 months before export and trapping must continue to the end of the harvest. (iv) Capture of 0.7 or more Medflies per trap per week will delay or suspend the harvest, d epending on whether harvest has begun, for consignments of peppers from that production site until APHI S and the exporting country's NPPO can agree that the pest risk has been mitigated. (v) The greenhouse must be inspected prior to harvest for the weevil Faustinus ovatipennis, peaRev. 5 January 15, 2010 6 leafminer, tomato fruit borer, lantana meal ybug, passionvine meal ybug, melon thrips, the rust fungus Puccinia pampeana, tomato severe leaf curl, Ralstonia solanacearum race 3 biovar 2 and Andean potato mottle virus . If any of these pests, or other quarantine pests, are found to be generall y infesting the greenhouse, export from that production site will be halted until the exporting country's NPPO determines that the pest risk has been mitigated. (4) The exporting country's NP PO must maintain records of trap placement, checking of traps, and any Medfl y captures. The exporting country's NPPO must maintain an APHI S
- approved quality control program to monitor or audit the trapping program. The trapping records must be maintained f

or APHIS' review. (5) The peppers must be packed within 24 hours of harvest in a pest

- exclusionary packinghouse. The peppers must be safeguarded b y an insect

- proof mesh screen or plastic tarpaulin while in transit to the packinghouse and while awaiting pa cking. Peppers must be packed in insect

- proof cartons or containers, or covered with insect

- proof mesh or plastic tarpaulin, for transit to the United States. These safeguards must remain intact until arrival in the United States or the consignment will be denied entry into the United States. (6) During the time the packinghouse is in use for exporting peppers to the United States, the packinghouse may

accept peppers onl y from registered approved production sites. (7) The exporting country's NPPO is respo nsible for export certification, inspection, and issuance of phy tosanitary certificates. Each consignment of peppers must be accompanied by a phy tosanitary certificate issued by

the NPPO and bearing the declaration, “These peppers were grown in an approved production site and the consignment has been inspected and found free of the pests listed in the requirements.” The shipping box must be labeled with the identity of the production site. (c) For peppers of the species Capsicum pubescens from areas in whi ch Mexican fruit fly (Mexfly) is considered to exist: (1) The peppers must be grown in approved production sites registered with the NPPO of the exporting country . Initial approval of the production sites will be completed jointly by the exporting country's NPPO and APHIS. The exporting country's NPPO must visit and inspect the production sites monthly, starting 2 months before harvest and continuing through until the end of the shipping season. APHI S may monitor the production sites at any time during thi s period. (2) Pepper production sites must consist of pest

- exclusionary greenhouses, which must have double self

- closing doors and have all other openings and vents covered with 1.6 mm (or less) screening. (3) Registered sites must contain traps for the detection of Mexfly both within and around the production site. (i) Traps with an approved protein bait must be placed inside the greenhouses at a density of four traps per hectare, with a minimum of two traps per greenhouse. Traps must be serviced on aRev. 5 January 15, 2010 7 w eekl y basis. (ii) If a single Mexfly

is detected inside a registered production site or in a consignment, the registered production site will lose its ability to ship under the s ys tems approach until APHI S and the exporting country's NPPO mutually determi ne that risk mitigation is achieved. (iii) Mexfly

traps with an approved protein bait must be placed inside a buffer area 500 meters wide around the registered production site, at a density of 1 trap per 10 hectares and a minimum of 10 traps. These traps must be checked at least every 7 day s. At least one of these traps must be near the greenhouse. Traps must be set for at least 2 months before export, and trapping must continue to the end of the harvest. (iv) Capture of 0.7 or more Mexflies per trap per week will delay or suspend the harvest, depending on whether harvest has begun, for consignments of peppers from that production site until APHI S and the exporting country's NPPO can agree that the pest risk has been mitigated. (v) The greenhouse must be inspected prior to harvest for the weevil Faustinus ovatipennis , pea leafminer, tomato fruit borer, , lantana meal ybug, passionvine meal ybug, melon thrips, the rust fungus Puccinia pampeana , tomato severe leaf curl, Andean potato mottle virus, and Ralstoni a solanacearum race 3 biovar 2 . If any of these pests, or other quarantine pests, are found to be generall y infesting the greenhouse, export from that production site will be halted until the exporting country's NPPO determines that the pest risk has been mitigated. (4) The exporting country's NPPO must maintain records of trap placement, checking of traps, and any Mexfly captures. The exporting country's NPPO must maintain an APHI S
- approved quality control program to monitor or audit the trapping program. The trapping records must be maintained for APHIS' review. (5) The peppers must be packed within 24 hours of harvest in a pest

- exclusionary packinghouse. The peppers must be safeguarded b y an insect

- proof mesh screen or plastic tarpaulin while in transit to the packinghouse and while awaiting packing. Peppers must be packed in insect

- proof cartons or containers, or covered with insect

- proof mesh or plastic tarpaulin, for transit to the United States. These safeguards must remain intact until arrival in th e United States or the consignment will be denied entry into the United States. (6) During the time the packinghouse is in use for exporting peppers to the United States, the packinghouse may

accept peppers onl y from registered approved production sites. (7) The exporting country's NPPO is responsible for export certification, inspection, and issuance of phy tosanitary certificates. Each consignment of peppers must be accompanied by a phy tosanitary certificate issued by

the NPPO and bearing the declaration , “These peppers were grown in an approved production site and the consignment has been inspected and found free of the pests listed in the requirements.” The shipping box must be labeled with the identity of the production site.Rev. 5 January 15, 2010 8 Efficacy of Risk M it igation Measures Establishment of pest

- free places of production obviates the need for post

- harvest commodity treatments to achieve phy tosanitary security ( IP PC 1996; 1999). Pest free places of production have been used successfully to prevent infestatio n by Mediterranean fruit fly (Medfl y) for peppers of the species Capsicum annuum , Capsicum frutescens , Capsicum baccatum , and Capsicum chinense in Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua since 2005
. No pests of quarantine significance have been intercepted by APHI S on peppers imported using this systems approach. Central American fresh peppers produced under this sy stems approach will also be subject to inspection by

Department of Homeland Security Customs and Border Protection (CBP) at the U.S. ports - of

- entry
. Infested fruit will be rejected, and traceback will be do ne by APHI S and the NPPO of the originating country to identify and correct problems including removal of the packinghouse or area of produ ction from the export program. A sy stems approach can provide an alternative to single measures to meet the appropriate level of phyt osanitary protection, or can be developed to provide ph ytosanitary protection in situations, in which no single measure is available (IPPC, 2002). Fresh peppers from Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua have been produced and exported to the United States under a sy stems approach for fruit flies for over four years with no interceptions of program pests
. ( USDA, 2009 ). Pest
- exclusionary

greenhouses remove pests from production sites ( 7 CFR § 319.56
- 40 (b)(2) ) and culling removes damaged and infest ed fruit at the packing house. As part of a s ys tems approach these measures are effective at lowering pest populations. No fruit flies have been intercepted on produce coming from pest exclusionary structures in any

of the programs for peppers or tomatoes. Summary There are several risk management measures available for the high

- risk pests identified above that will permit the importation of pepper from P anama while satisfying the appropriate level of phy tosanitary protection for the United States. P est - free places of pepper production, provide the level of ph yt osanitary

security required b y the United States. A sy stems approach utilizing pes t exclusion greenhouse as described above , employing a combination of measures acting independentl y, if properly implemented, also mitigates risk and provides an acceptable level of phy tosanitary protection. Authors Walter Gould, Senior Risk Manager APHI S
- PPQ Jose Hernandez, Senior Risk Manager APHI S
- PPQRev. 5 January 15, 2010 9 David B. Lamb, Import Specialist APHI S
- PPQ References
7 CFR § 319. 2007. Code of Federal Regulations, Title 7, Part 319 (7 CFR §319.56

- Fruit and Vegetable Quarantine Regulations). IPPC. 1996. Requirements for the establishment of pest free areas. International Standards for Phy tosanitary Measures No. 4. Rome: Secretariat of the International Plant Protection Convention, United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization. IPPC. 1999. Requirements fo r the establishment of pest free places of production and pest free production sites. International Standards for Phy tosanitary Measures No. 10. Rome: Secretariat of the International Plant Protection Convention, United Nations Food and Agriculture Organiz ation. IPPC. 2002. The use of integrated measures in a systems approach for pest risk management. International Standards for Phy tosanitary Measures No. 14. Rome: Secretariat of the International Plant Protection Convention, United Nations Food and Agricu lture Organization. USDA. 2008b. Treatment Manual. USDA

- APHIS
- PPQ; http://www.aphis.usda.gov/import_export/plants/manuals/ports/treatment.shtml USDA . 2009. Importation of Fresh Pepper

- Capsicum annuum L., Capsicum baccatum L., Capsicum chinense Jacq, Capsicum frutescens L., and Capsicum pubescens Ruiz & Pav.

- Fruit with Stems from Central America into the United States. A Qualitative, Pathway

Initiated Risk Anal ys is. January 21, 2009. Plant Epidemiology and Risk Analy sis Laboratory , Center for Plant Health Science and Technology , Plant Protection and Quarantine, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service.