CFDA: no more rejections for armored scale

Here is a link to a letter from CDFA to its inspectors relative to the armored scale, which has been a lingering issue on avocado imports from Mexico. Here is the text:

DATE: July 18, 2007
TO: All Border Station Inspectors and County Agricultural Commissioners
FROM: Plant Health and Pest Prevention Services
SUBJECT: Armored Scale (Diaspididae) on Commercial Produce for Consumption
Effective immediately, inspectors should no longer reject commercial shipments of produce for consumption due to the presence of armored scales (Diaspididae). This change in policy is the result of an updated pest risk analysis for armored scales conducted by USDA-APHIS-PPQ. The analysis concludes that commercial produce shipments for consumption present a low-risk pathway for the introduction of armored scales. The Federal Code of Regulations defines commercial shipment as “a shipment containing fruits or vegetables that an inspector identifies as having been produced for sale and distribution in mass markets.”
Non-commercial shipments of consumptive produce, such as those found in private vehicles or private parcels, have not necessarily been through any cleaning or culling process. Because these processes were significant factors in determining that commercial shipments present a low risk, non-commercial shipments should still be rejected if actionable armored scale pests are found. Additionally, inspectors should continue to reject any shipments of propagative plant material (commercial or non-commercial) infested with actionable armored scales.

TK: This should resolve an issue that has been hanging over the North American avocado industry for some time.