The U.S. Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) has announced its decision to authorize imports of fresh Mexican pomegranates and pitayas (dragonfruit) to the continental United States.

The fruit will have to be irradiated with a minimum absorbed dose of 150 Gy (units of gray) in accordance with 7 CFR part 305, and if this takes place outside the U.S. the fruit must be jointly inspected by representatives of APHIS and Mexico's national plant protection organization (IPPO) with an accompanying phytosanitary certificate.

"If the irradiation treatment is applied upon arrival in the United States, each consignment of fruit must be inspected by the NPPO of Mexico prior to departure," APHIS said.

"For consignments of pitayas, the inspection must include a sampling procedure mutually agreed upon by APHIS and the NPPO of Mexico."

The approval process was ongoing since a pest risk assessment (PRA) relating to the fruit was published on the Federal Register in August, 2011, prompting responses from various national and international organizations.

Some concerns were raised regarding the adequacy of proposed irradiation doses to prevent the entry of exotic fruit flies, but APHIS claimed the treatment level had proven effective with other commodities.

Some commenters requested that the pests Anastrepha fraterculus, Dysmicoccus neobrevipes, and Planococcus minor be removed from the PRA in relation to pitayas, of which only the latter was then removed.

The service also removed the pest E. servus from the list as it is already present in 14 U.S. states and is not considered a quarantine pest.

APHIS also decided that C. viridis was not a quarantine pest in relation to pomegranates.

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