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United States Department of Agriculture

Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service

Plant Protection and Quarantine

Importation of Fresh Pomegranate, Punica granatum L., 

from Mexico to the Continental United States

Risk Management Document

July 27, 2013

United States Department of Agriculture

Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service

Agency Contact: marc.phillips@aphis.usda.gov
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I. Executive Summary:

The National Plant Protection Organization (NPPO) of Mexico requested market access for fresh 

pomegranate fruit, Punica granatum L., into the United States from Mexico. The commodity will 

be imported into the continental United States and Alaska, but not into Hawaii, Guam, or the 

other U.S. territories. Pomegranates have previously been imported from Mexico into the United 

States only from APHIS recognized fruit fly free areas in Mexico. Mexico proposed to treat the 

fruit with a 150 Gy APHIS-approved generic irradiation treatment that would mitigate risks from 

fruit flies. 

Based on the pest information received and the supposition that the fruit would receive an APHIS

approved irradiation treatment, APHIS determined that a pest list identifying all quarantine pests 

in Mexico would be sufficient information to evaluate pathway risks. This streamlined approach 

would also meet one of APHIS’ objectives behind the development of a generic irradiation 

treatment for most plant pests. 

APHIS’s Center for Plant Health Science and Technology (CPHST) developed a pest list for 

pomegranates originating from Mexico (USDA, 2010). CPHST identified fifteen quarantine 

pests that are likely to follow the pathway for this commodity. The pest list was based on 

published scientific literature and pest interception records of the United States Department of 

Agriculture (Pest ID, 2010). 

Analysis of the pest list for pomegranates from Mexico indicated that the four fruit flies likely to 

follow the pathway would be effectively neutralized1 with the irradiation generic dose of 150 Gy

(USDA, 2006). 

This risk management document outlines the phytosanitary measures that APHIS will require for 

the importation of pomegranates from Mexico, and documents the evidence used by APHIS to 

conclude that these measures will effectively prevent the introduction of quarantine pests into the 

continental United States. 

II. Analysis of quarantine pests and mitigation measures required

A. Introduction

The pest list completed by CPHST identified 15 quarantine pests that could potentially follow the 

pathway of pomegranate fruit from Mexico (USDA, 2010). The quarantine pests include four 

fruit flies, two whiteflies, seven mealybugs and two soft scales on Mexico pomegranates, and are 

as follows:

 

1 A pest is considered neutralized when it is killed, rendered sterile or its further development into becoming an adult 

is stopped.
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Aleurodicus dispersus Russell Hemiptera: Aleyrodidae

Siphoninus phillyreae (Haliday) Hemiptera: Aleyrodidae

Anastrepha fraterculus Wiedemann Diptera: Tephritidae

Anastrepha ludens (Loew) Diptera: Tephritidae

Anastrepha obliqua (Macquart) Diptera: Tephritidae

Ceratitis capitata (Wiedemann) Diptera:Tephritidae

Ceroplastes rubens Maskell Hemiptera: Coccidae

Coccus viridis (Green) Hemiptera: Coccidae

Dysmicoccus neobrevipes (Beardsley) Hemiptera: Pseudococcidae

Ferrisia malvastra (McDaniel) Hemiptera: Pseudococcidae

Maconellicoccus hirsutus (Green) Hemiptera: Pseudococcidae

Nipaecoccus viridis (Newstead) Hemiptera: Pseudococcidae

Paracoccus ferrisi Ezzat and McConnell Hemiptera: Pseudococcidae

Paracoccus marginatus Williams and Granara de Willink Hemiptera: Pseudococcidae

Pseudococcus solenedyos Gimpel and Miller Hemiptera: Pseudococcidae

Since the development of the PRA in 2010, APHIS has had the opportunity to review the status 

of certain pests associated with imported commodities. Based on that review, in April 2012, 

APHIS concluded that one pest listed above, Coccus viridis, no longer met our definition of 

quarantine pests and therefore will require no regulatory actions to mitigate pest risk (USDA, 

2012a, USDA, 2012b). 

B. Risk Management Measures 

APHIS proposes to allow the importation of the fresh pomegranate fruit from Mexico into the 

continental United States under the following conditions: 

(a) The fruit must be commercially produced and be part of a commercial consignment as 

defined in 7 CFR Section 319.56-2. 

(b) The fruit must be irradiated with a minimum absorbed dose of 150 Gy and follow the

requirements of 7 CFR parts 305 and 319.

(c) If irradiation is applied outside the United States, each consignment of fruit must be 

inspected jointly by APHIS and Mexico inspectors and accompanied by a Phytosanitary

Certificate (PC) issued by the national plant protection organization (NPPO) of Mexico

certifying that the fruit received the required irradiation treatment with 150 Gy as the 

minimum absorbed dose. The PC must also include an Additional Declaration (AD) stating 

that the consignment was inspected during the pre-clearance activities and found free from

pests of quarantine concern.

(d) If irradiation is to be applied upon arrival in the United States, each consignment of fruit 

must be inspected by Mexico inspectors prior to departure and accompanied by a PC issued 

by the NPPO of Mexico with an AD stating that the consignment was inspected and found 

free from quarantine pests.

(e) Each consignment is subject to inspection at the U.S. ports-of-entry. 
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C. Evidence for the Effective Removal of Pests of Concern from the Pathway

Four of the fourteen pests likely to follow the pathway are fruit flies. A minimum absorbed dose 

of 150 Gy has been determined by APHIS regulations (7 CFR § 305.9) to be adequate to 

neutralize all fruit flies. The irradiation treatment, along with standard postharvest processes,

will likely mitigate the risks from all the insects listed above.

Whiteflies (Aleyrodidae), soft scales (Coccidae) and mealybugs (Pseudococcidae) are surface 

pests. It is expected that commercial shipments with standard quality control, including culling, 

will remove most of these pests from the commodity. Inspection of the commodity by the 

NPPO, with certification that the commodity is free from quarantine pests, will provide adequate 

mitigation for these pests. Since 1985, inspectors at U.S. ports-of-entry have never intercepted 

these species on pomegranate from fruit fly free areas where market access is currently allowed 

(PestID, 2010).

Irradiation has been used to mitigate pest risk for a number of types of fruits imported from India 

(mangoes since 2007) and Mexico (mangoes, citrus and other fruits since 2009), and from fruit 

moved interstate from Hawaii (papayas and other tropical fruits since 1996). No pests have been 

intercepted on any of these importations to date (Pest ID, 2010).

 

As part of the U.S. requirements (7 CFR § 305.9) governing the use of irradiation as a 

phytosanitary treatment, APHIS and the NPPO of Mexico must jointly develop an operational 

work plan (OWP). The work plan shall include details of activities including inspection of 

articles that NPPO must perform before the treatment or departure. Inspection of the fruit and 

freedom from pests not targeted by irradiation as declared on the PC will ensure that all pests of 

concern are removed from the pathway.

III. Conclusion

The phytosanitary requirements described above include treatment of pomegranate fruit from 

Mexico with irradiation using a minimum absorbed dose of 150 Gy, commercial shipments and 

phytosanitary inspections for pests not targeted by the irradiation treatment. Based on the 

evaluation of effectiveness of these measures directed against the pests of concern, APHIS finds 

that the safeguards of 7 CFR § 319.56 and the additional mitigations described herein will result 

in the effective removal of the pests of concern identified by the pest list for the importation of 

fresh pomegranate from Mexico into the continental United States.
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IV. Authors:

Walter P. Gould, Ph.D.

Senior Risk Manager – Entomology

José R. Hernández, Ph.D.

Senior Risk Manager - Plant Pathology

V. References: 

PestID. 2010. Pest Identification Database (PestID). United States Department of Agriculture, 

Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, Plant Protection and Quarantine. 

USDA. 2006. USDA 2006. Treatments for Fruits and Vegetables. January 27, 2006 issue of 

Federal Register 71(18): 4451-4464.

USDA. 2010. Pest List for Fresh Pomegranate, Punica granatum L., from Mexico to the 

Continental United States. USDA, APHIS, CPHST, 24 pp.

USDA. 2012a. Official Control - The Federally Recognized State Managed Phytosanitary

Program. USDA-APHIS-PPQ Plant Health Programs. 

http://www.aphis.usda.gov/plant_health/plant_pest_info/frsmp/non-reg-pests.html

USDA. 2012b. Removal of Coccus viridis and Planococcus minor. USDA-APHIS-PPQ 

National Identification Services. 

http://ppqersharepoint.we.aphis.gov/national/pspi/nis/Support%20Site%20Files/nispolicies4.

html