Citrus quarantine appears likely

A two-year quarantine of citrus in Tulare County is expected to be announced next week, a spokesperson with the California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) said Tuesday.

The quarantine is in response to the find of an Asian citrus psyllid discovered in a commercial orchard about two miles northeast of Strathmore. The bug that carries the citrus disease Huanglongbing (HLB), also known as citrus greening, was found in a trap collected in late October.

While Steve Lyle, spokesperson for CDFA, said the department is moving forward with the quarantine, some in the citrus industry are working to have that action delayed to see if any more psyllids are trapped.

Following the announcement of the find, approximately 500 traps were deployed in the Strathmore area. Some believe the bug was a “hitchhiker” and traveled here, but Lyle said, “We look at this as a second detection. It tells us there’s a breeding population in Tulare County.”

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