Monday, July 19, 2010

The Quarantine, Part I

The USDA and DPI (Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, Division of Plant Industry) have decreed that plants and fruit cannot leave our property. Unfortunately these extreme measures are hitting at the peak of mango season. In the past week I've peeled hundreds of pounds of mangos, made many batches of mango bread, and had friends make enormous amounts of chutney. But more mangos ripen daily. Every time I meet with USDA/DPI people I ask to be able to sell fruit to people who live in the quarantine zone, which is similar to what citrus producers were allowed to do when under quarantine. Instead of easing restrictions, they say we must wait for the quarantine to be lifted in our area, which they expect to happen in about 76 days.

Here's a map of the area that's affected by the medfly quarantine.

http://www.doacs.state.fl.us/pi/enpp/ento/images/FF_Q_Zone.pdf

and another article on the medfly in Palm Beach County

http://www.palmbeachpost.com/money/key-to-south-county-medfly-fight-dont-move-794730.html

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