Fruits being imported through the Los Angeles-Long Beach port complex will be subject to extra safety precautions for at least the next few months due to an ongoing quarantine, according to the California Dept. of Food & Agriculture.
As part of the quarantine, which was imposed Nov. 6 by the CDFA due to the discovery of Mexican fruit flies in Long Beach, fruit and vegetable import/export terminals at the Long Beach and LA seaports are subject to increased scrutiny, such as inspections and spraying.
Most notably impacted by the quarantine is the LA port’s 12-acre fruit terminal at Berth 54/55, which imports perishable and frozen cargo from Chile and New Zealand, including grapes and stone fruits like peaches, plums and cherries.
While the fruit terminal is just outside the quarantine zone, port officials said the terminal’s working with authorities to take extra precautions there.
“The quarantine will last months but likely not a year,” Dept. of Food & Agriculture spokesman Steve Lyle said Thursday, Nov. 8. “The exact duration is dependent on whether or not we find additional flies.”
“Affected business are required to take steps to protect against the spread of the pest,” he said.
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