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



## Importation of Cranberry **(Vaccinium macrocarpon) from**  **Chile into the continental United States Risk Management Document** 

**A pril**  **17, 20**  **1 4** 

**Plant Health Programs (PHP) R**  **egulations, Permits and Manuals (**  **R P**  **M )**  **Contact Person: Claudia Ferguson** 2

**Introduction** T he United States De partment of Agriculture’s (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHI S) prepared a pe st risk assessment (PRA ) i n response Chile’s market access request to import fresh fruit of cranberries ( Vaccinium macrocarpon ) for consumption int o the continental United States. The details of the methodology and rating criteria for the PRA are found in the Guidelines for Plant Pest Risk Assessment of Imported Fruit and Vegetable Commodities ( USDA , 2012). The market access request from Chile included information on the conditions under which the cranberries will be produced : f ollowing harvest, the cranbe rries are washed and dried, and maintained at 5 °C in storage and transport to export markets ( SAG, 2012 ; USDA, 2014 ). The PRA was developed based on a ll processes and conditions becom ing mandatory conditions for entry of the commodity . The pest risk assessment document , ‘ Importation of Cranberry ( Vaccinium macrocarpon ) from Chile into the C ontinental United States ’ **found no pests that might follow the pathway of cranberries**  **from Chile**  (USDA , 20 1 4 ). There were only

two pests considered in the PRA, the two Lepidoptera Dalacca chiliensis (Viette) and Dalacca pallens (Blanchard) . The PRA concluded that both of these pests lacked scientific evidence to definitively associate them with the plant part to be exported, the harvested cranberries . The proce sses listed above therefore did not remove any of the pests from the pathway and will not be required as mitigations. **Risk Management Measures** The following risk management measures must be followed for cranberries from Chile to be imported into the Unit ed States:  Cranberries must be imported as commercial consignment s only .
 Each consignment of cranberries must be accompanied by a phy tosanitary certificate issued by national plant protection organization (NPPO) of Chile .
 Each shipment is subject to inspection upon arrival at port of entry to the United States. **Conclusion** APHI S believes that the phy tosanitary measures proposed in this document will result in the effective removal of any potential quarantine pests associated with the importation of fresh cranberries from Chile . The PRA did not identify any pests of cranberries that were likely to follow the pathway

and therefore be candidates for risk management (USDA, 201 4 ). Commercially
- produced fruit are grown and packed to meet quality levels that allow them to be marketed for sale. Commercial ly
- produced fruit are less likely than other fruit to have pests or other phy tosanitary issues. In terceptions of pests in commercial fruit versus passenger baggage3

indicate that non
- commercially produced fr

uit has a much higher risk of carrying pests (AQAS, 201 4 ). In spection is considered effective at finding external feeding pests or accidental hitchhikers and excluding infested shipments from entering commerce ( Cavey , 2003 ; Wittenberg and Cock, 2001 ). Cranberries will undergo two inspections, one inspection from the NPPO of Chile to provide the phy

tosanitary certificate indicating freedom from pests, and one inspection by U.S. Customs and Border Protection at the port of entry to the United States. **Referen ces:**  AQAS. 201 4 . Agricultural Quarantine Activity Sy stem Pest Interception Database. USDA
APHI S - PPQ. L ast accessed Apr . 201 4 . Cavey , J.F. 2003. Mitigating introduction of invasive plant pests: the APHI S - PPQ Mission. From: Chapter 13, pp. 350
- 361 i n Ruiz, G.M and J.T. Carlton. 2003. I nvasive species: vectors and management strategies. I sland Press, Washington, D.C. 518p. SAG . 2012. I mportation of fresh fruit of cranberry , Vaccinium macrocarpon , from Chile into the continental United States of Amer ica. Vildosola, G. M ., Servicio Agricola y Ganadero, Chile. 23 pp. USDA . 2012. Guidelines for Plant Pest Risk Assessment of Imported Fruit and Vegetable Commodities (First Edition). United States Department of Agriculture, Animal and Plant Health In spec tion Service, Plant Protection and Quarantine, Raleigh, NC.

. USDA. 20 1 4 . Importation of Cranberry ( Vaccinium macrocarpon ) from Chile into the continental United States . A Qualitative, Pathway
- In itiated Pest Risk Assessment. USDA, APHI S, CPHST, PERAL , Raleigh, NC. 8 pp. Wittenberg, R. and M.J.W. Cock. 2001. In vasive Alien Species: A toolkit of best prevention and management practices. CABI publishing, CAB International, Wallingford, Oxon, UK. 228 pp. **Author** Walter P. Gould Senior Risk Manager