Adam H. Putnam, Commissioner - Richard D. Gaskalla, Director

Caribbean Fruit Fly Certification

Bureau Chief: Tyson Emery Tyson.Emery@freshfromflorida.com
P.O. Box 147100
Gainesville Florida 32614-7100
352-372-3505 ext. 154

The Caribbean fruit fly, Anastrepha suspensa (Lowe), is a serious pest of many tropical and sub-tropical fruits of Central and South Florida. Since the 1965 introduction in the Miami area, this pest has caused concern for many Florida growers and consumers throughout the world. Due to the need to protect other areas of the world against this pest, rigid agricultural quarantines have been established to prevent the movement of Caribbean fruit fly infested material.

Although post harvest treatments (fumigation) can provide necessary safeguards against this pest, they proved to be expensive and often caused damage to the fruit. In the early 1980's, studies were initiated for the purpose of developing new procedures for certifying citrus fruit free of the Caribbean fruit fly. Based upon these initial studies and a better understanding of the Caribbean fruit fly as it relates to citrus, an acceptable certification procedure was established. This procedure is referred to as the Caribbean Fruit Fly Protocol (CFFP) Certification Program. Presently, Bermuda, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Japan, Korea, New Zealand, Philippines, Thailand, the People's Republic of China, Vietnam and the states of California, Hawaii and Texas have accepted this fly-free certification procedure.

The current procedures for certifying citrus with the fly-free zone concept requires that the fruit come from specific Caribbean fruit fly protocol areas (or designated areas) in 22 eligible citrus producing counties. Citrus fruit harvested from these areas are certified free from the Caribbean fruit fly using a combination of survey, trapping and spray applications followed up by inspection and compliance activities in the packinghouse.

The Caribbean Fruit Fly Protocol is administered by the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services Division of Plant Industry and Division of Fruit and Vegetable Inspection, in cooperation with the US Department of Agriculture, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, Plant Protection and Quarantine.