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 Mediterranean 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 Medfly Pest-Free Areas (PFA) for 

Argentina 

Currently, Medfly host materials (fruit) without treatment from Argentina may be 

imported into the United States from areas in Argentina that are free of Medfly (C. 

capitata) or from areas with C. capitata 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 Mediterranean fruit fly (Medfly) (Ceratitis capitata) 

[Wiedemann]. However in 2004, the National Food Safety and Quality Service 

(Servicio Nacional de Sanidad y Calidad Agroalimentaria, SENASA) of Argentina 

requested an increase in the areas that may export Medfly host material (fruit) to the 

United States (U.S.). 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 pest-free by Argentina. Survey and detection protocols for a 

PFA must be evaluated and approved by APHIS before the declared PFA is recognized 

by APHIS as pest-free. 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). 
2

During the most recent site visit, SENASA provided APHIS survey data and information 

relating to their 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 Medfly 

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 

Medfly 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 Mediterranean fruit fly. 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 what to do with the suspicious capture and how the program 

will respond. A grid is created and additional traps are installed. Fruit sampling and 

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

must be treated if it is to leave the area. The emergency program will continue through 

three life cycles calculated by degree days. If there are no captures in this time the 

eradication is complete and the normal fruit fly program resumes. 

SENASA maintains a sterile Medfly production facility in Mendoza for a preventative 

release program and to support eradication and suppression activities. Releases are 

increased during high risk periods or when outbreaks occur. The production facility 

maintains a high level of quality control and biosecurity based on IAEA standards. 

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 
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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 

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 includes 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 March 2009, SENASA provided confirmation to APHIS that it has been over one year 

since any Mediterranean fruit flies were found in the South and Central Oases in the 

Province of Mendoza. 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.

After reviewing the trip reports from site visits, 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 Medfly. The 

southern part of the province of Mendoza should be added to the existing Medfly PestFree Areas of Argentina. This action would recognize portions of provinces of Argentina 

as free of Medfly and allow the importation of Medfly host material (fruit) into the 

United States from these areas of Argentina without additional mitigations or 

requirements for Medfly when Medfly is the only pest 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. 

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. 
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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