State of agricultural emergency declared for Florida due to Oriental Fruit Fly infestation

Florida Commissioner of Agriculture Adam H. Putnam today declared a state of agricultural emergency due to the Oriental Fruit Fly infestation in Miami-Dade County. The Oriental Fruit Fly is considered one of the most serious of the world's fruit fly pests due to its potential economic harm. It attacks more than 430 different fruits, vegetables and nuts, including: avocado, mango, mamey, loquat, lychee, longon, dragon fruit, guava, papaya, sapodilla, banana and annona. The fruit flies lay their eggs in host fruits and vegetables. Since the first detection of the Oriental Fruit Fly on Aug. 26, 2015 in Miami-Dade County, a total of 158 flies have been detected, specifically in the Redland area (156), Kendall (1) and Miami (1).

“The Oriental Fruit Fly is one of the world's most destructive pests and poses a significant threat to Florida's $123 billion agriculture industry and the two million jobs it supports. Miami-Dade County's agriculture industry is a $1.6 billion industry, and we will use every weapon in our arsenal that's necessary to eradicate this pest and protect Florida agriculture and our economy,” stated Commissioner of Agriculture Adam H. Putnam.

The infestation threatens the area's ability to produce the fruit and vegetables the nation has grown to rely on during the winter months, the region's overall economic health and the thousands of jobs that rely on this industry.  Miami-Dade County is the state's leader in the production of tropical vegetables, tropical fruit and ornamental nurseries, and overall agricultural production generates more than $1.6 billion in annual economic impact and supports more than 11,000 jobs.

The department, along with the U.S. Department of Agriculture, has been aggressively working to eradicate this pest. Efforts include:

• Assisting industry with the requirements of their compliance agreements;
• Quarantining an 85-square-mile area around the core areas where detections have been made in order to prevent the spread of the fly;
• Treating a 1.5-square-mile area around each fly detection. This treatment, which is conducted by the department, consists of attracting male flies to bait which consists of an attractant, an insecticide, and a thickening agent. The flies are killed when they feed on the bait. The bait mixture is applied weekly to upper portions of telephone and utility poles. The application will continue for at least two life cycles of the fly after each find, which is approximately 60 days;
• Removal of fruit from host trees — while leaving the trees — within 200 meters of a larval or mature female fruit fly find; and
• Ground spraying with GF120, a pesticide certified for use in organic farming. Spinosad (GF-120  NF  NaturalyteTM   Fruit  Fly  Bait) is an insecticide that is extracted from the naturally occurring soil microbe, Saccharopolyspora spinosa. Spinosad is in common use by organic growers and was granted a “Green Chemistry” award by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, which classifies it as “reduced risk” because of its good environmental profile.

It is important to note that all appropriate protocols are in place and that the fruits and vegetables introduced into the marketplace from this area are certified for movement and safe for consumption by the public.

View a copy of the Declaration.
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