Safeguarding our Nation ’s agriculture and innate resourcefulness against harmful industrial plant plague is an awful duty , one my means — USDA ’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service — takes very seriously . Thanks to our employees , collaborator , and partner , the United States has one of the most rich flora wellness safeguarding systems in the world . That is because we continuously take gradation to enhance our ability to shut out , control , and eradicate pest and increase the safety gadget of agricultural business deal .
by Osama El - Lissy , APHIS Deputy decision maker
As Deputy Administrator for our Plant Protection and Quarantine ( PPQ ) program , I am majestic of the tremendous accomplishment PPQ has made to fulfill our mission of protect the health and note value of American agriculture and natural resource . This week , I want to lionize two milestones that are important to our feat . The first is the opening of our newfangled Sterile Insect Rearing Facility in Sarasota , Florida , which is a vital part of our Mediterranean fruit fly ( Medfly ) preventive release programme . The 2nd is the record - recrudesce headroom of more than 1 billion unit of plant , plant cut , and seeds at our Miami Plant Inspection Station .
Let ’s first talk about Medfly . It is one of the most prejudicial pests in the world , attacking more than 200 kinds of fruits and vegetables . Our Sterile Insect Release Facility located in Sarasota , Florida , help keep Medfly out of that state by free about 100 million uninspired rainfly over gamey - risk area every calendar week . These sterile tent-fly mate with invading Medflies and produce no offspring . That intend , that any potential Medfly introduction is multiply out of existence before it becomes a threat .
PPQ Sterile Insect Release Facility staff compile thousands of sterilized Mediterranean fruit flies ( Medfly ) and prepare them for sack over the highest - risk of infection area of Florida to prevent Medfly outbreak .
The upshot address for themselves . Since 2011 , Florida has not had a Medfly outbreak in areas under our preventive release program . And when we detected Medfly in 2010 and 2011 outside of these areas , we were able to straight off deviate aseptic fly front to those fix . That action — along with quarantine restriction and soil treatments — result in a record obliteration time of just 30 days .
Now permit ’s talk about spell plants and seeds . Each year , the United States import billion of plants , plant cuttings , and semen . But the assortment and multifariousness of plants now available in U.S. mart comes with endangerment . That is why the U.S. government want most imported plants and seeds to enter the United States through one of 16 USDA Plant Inspection Stations . Skilled experts at these facilities scrutinise and clean incoming shipments to assure they are free from plant pests and diseases that could damage U.S. agriculture or natural resources .
Our busiest Plant Inspection Station is located in Miami , Florida . Last twelvemonth , they processed more than 1 billion units of imported plants , cut , and seeds . That ’s 60 percent of all plant , flora newspaper clipping , and seeds imported into the United States . Our on - site specializer also treat and identified more than 23,400 pests stop in arriving shipments , helping to keep potentially damaging pests out of our country .
In fiscal twelvemonth 2018 , PPQ ’s Miami Plant Inspection Station processed 60 percentage of all plants , flora film editing , and seeds spell into the United States , helping to keep potentially harmful plant life pests and disease out of this land .
Together , our Sterile Insect Rearing Facility and our Miami Plant Inspection Station are helping us mount a powerful Department of Defense against invading plant pest . Thanks to these modern , state - of - the art facilities — and the gifted , most committed multitude who work there — PPQ will continue to protect Florida ’s Department of Agriculture — and the United States — for year to come .
Source : USDA
