U.S.: APHIS lowers tomato trap quarantine requirements
The Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) has amended trapping requirements for tomato growers wishing to export the fruit to the U.S. 
The APHIS Federal Order has reduced the minimum requirements from five to two traps per hectare for the prevention and surveillance of tomato leafminer, Tuta Absoluta.
The order said the decision was made as two traps per hectare was shown to be sufficient for detecting tomato leafminer in test exclusionary structures.
"APHIS will also require that tomatoes imported under a systems approach from Tuta absoluta-infested countries not contain vines, stems or calyces to prevent the introduction and establishment of T. absoluta," APHIS said.
"APHIS will continue to prohibit the entry of plants for planting of Solanum spp., Datura spp. and Nicotiana spp., which are also hosts of T. absoluta, from countries where the tomato leafminer is known to occur pending the completion of a Pest Risk Analysis (PRA) and the implementation of appropriate mitigation measures."
Photo: Wikimedia Commons
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