1 **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 , 201 3

**United States Department of Agriculture Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service**  **Agency Contact: marc.phi**  **l lips** **@aphis.usda.gov**2

**I.** 

### Executive Summary:
The National Plant Protection Organization (NPPO) of Mexico requested m arket 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 pre viously been imported from Mexico into the United States only

from APHI S recognized fruit fly free areas in Mexico. Mexico proposed to treat the fruit with a 150 Gy APHI S
- 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 APHI S approved irradiation treatment, APHI S determined that a pest list identifying all quarantine pests in Mexico would be su f

ficient information to evaluate pathway risks. This streamlined approach would also meet one of APHI S’ objectives behind the development of a generic irradiation treatment for most plant pests. APHI S’ s Center for Plant Health Science an d Technology (CPHST) developed a pest list for p ome granate s originating from Mexico (USDA, 20 1 0) . CPHST identified fifteen quarantine pests that are likely

to follow the pathway for th is commodity . The pest list w as based on published scientific literature an d pest interception records of the United Stat es Department of Agriculture (Pest ID, 20 1 0)
. Analysis of the pest list for p omegranate s from Mexico indicated that the four fruit flies likely to follow the pathway

would be effectively

neutralized 1 with the irradiation generic dose of 150 Gy (USDA, 2 006). This risk management document outlines the phy tosanitary measures that APHI S will require for the importation of p omegranate s from Mexico , and documents the evidence used by APHI S to conclude that these measures will effectively prevent the introd

uction of quarantine pests into the continental United States
.
**II.** 

### A **nalysis of quarantine**  **pest s**  **and mitigation measures required**  **A. Introduction**  The pest list completed by CPHST identified 1 5 quarantine pests that could potentially follow the pathway o f p omegranate fruit from Mexico (USDA, 20 1 0). The quarantine pests include four fruit flies, two whiteflies, seven mealy bugs and two soft scales on Mexico pomegranates , and are as follows:

1 A pest is considered neutralized when it is killed, rendered ste rile or its further development into becoming an adult is stopped.3

Aleurodicus dispersus Russell Hemiptera: Aleyrodidae Siphon inus 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: C occidae Coccus viridis (Green) Hemiptera: C occidae Dysmicoccus neobrevipes (Beardsley) Hemiptera: Pseudococcidae Ferrisia malvastra (McDaniel) Hemiptera: Pseudococcidae Maconellicoccus hirs utus (Green) Hemiptera: Pseudococcidae Nipaecoccus viridis (Newstead) Hemiptera: Pseudococcidae Paracoccus ferrisi Ezzat and McConnell Hemiptera: Pseudococcidae Paracoccus marginatus Williams and Granara de Willink Hemiptera: Pseudococcidae Pseudoc occus solenedyos Gimpel and Miller Hemiptera: Pseudococcidae Since the development of the PRA in 20 1 0, APHI S has had the opportunity to review the status of certain pests associated with imported commodities. Based on that review, in April 2012, APHI S concluded that one pest li sted 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 M**  **anagement Measures**  APHI S proposes to al low 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 f ruit 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, e ach consignment of fruit must be inspected jointly

by APHI S and M exico inspectors and accompanied by a Phy tosanitary C ertificate (PC) issued by the national plant protection organization (NPPO) of M exico certifying that the fruit received the required irradiation treatment with 150 Gy as the minimum absorbed dose
. The PC must also include an A dditional D eclaration (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, e ach 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 .4

**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

APHI S 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 (Aley

rodidae), soft scales (Coccidae) and mealy bugs ( 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 commodi ty is free from quarantine pests, will provide adequate mitigation for these pests. S ince 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 ty pes 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 tro pical 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 phy tosanitary treatment, APHI S and the NPPO of M exico 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
. 

### I **II . Conclusion**  The phy tosanitary requirements described above include treatment of pomegranate fruit from M exico with irradiation using a minimum ab sorbed dose of 150 Gy , commercial shipments and phy tosanitary inspections for pests not targeted by the irradiation treatment. B ased on the evaluation of effectiveness of these measures directed against the pests of concern , APHI S finds that the safeguard s of 7 CFR § 319.56 and the additional mitigations described here in will result in the effective removal of the pests of concern i dentified by the pest list for the importation of fresh pomegranate from Mexico into the continental United States
.5



### I **V. Aut hor**  **s :**  Walter P. Gould , Ph.D. Senior Risk Manager

– Entomology Jos é R. Hern ández, Ph.D. Senior Risk Manager
- Plant Pathology 

### V. **References:** PestID. 20 1 0. Pest I dentification 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. 20 1 0. Pest List for Fresh Pomegranate, Punica granatum L
. , from Mexico to the Continental United States
. USDA, APHI S, CPHST, 24 pp. USDA. 2012a. Official Control
- The Federally Recognized State Managed Phy tosanitary Program. USDA
- APHI S
- 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
- APHI S
- PPQ National I dentification Services. http://ppqersharepoint.we.aphis.gov/national/pspi/nis/Support%20Site%20Files/nispolicies4. html