At the end of last week, Florida Agriculture Commissioner Adam Putnam announced the Oriental fruit fly had been eradicated in Miami Dade County.
First spotted at the end of August, so far more than 160 fruit flies have been detected in more than 400 products, mostly around Redland. Oriental fruit flies lay eggs in fruits and vegetables, making them a major threat to produce. Putnam had announced spraying efforts at the end of September to fight the insects.
“I thank all of our partners, including Miami Dade County’s community members, who worked diligently to protect not only Miami Dade County’s $1.6 billion agriculture industry, but also Florida’s entire $120 billion agriculture industry from the Oriental fruit fly,” Putnam said on Friday. “I also thank the U.S. Department of Agriculture for working with us on our collaborative eradication efforts.
“Unfortunately, battling invasive pests has become all too common in Florida with our numerous ports and robust trade industry, and we must address the root cause,” Putnam added.
“As a result of the hard work and close coordination of federal, state, and local officials and industry partners, we were able to contain this outbreak to a relatively small 99-square mile area and eliminate it in fewer than six months,” said Osama El-Lissy, a deputy administrator for USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service. “The key to success is our ability to rapidly detect and respond to new outbreaks before they can spread.”
Both the USDA and the state will continue to monitor the area.
Starting in early October, Putnam ordered aerial spraying in the quarantine zone set up in the Redland area. The area was sprayed with Spinosad, an insecticide which was honored by the federal Environmental Protection Agency with the “Green Chemistry” award.
Putnam declared an agriculture emergency in the area in the middle of September. Up in Washington, D.C., 20 members of the Florida delegation sent a letter to U.S. Agriculture Sec. Tom Vilsack, urging his department to continue efforts to eliminate the flies, at that time.
U.S. Rep. Carlos Curbelo, R-Fla., signed the letter and explained why the USDA needed to help eradicate the flies.
“On August 28, 2015, 40 Oriental fruit flies were found in Miami-Dade County, resulting in the immediate quarantine of the 1.5 square miles surrounding the fly detection area,” Curbelo said when the letter was sent out two weeks ago. “It is crucial that the U.S. Department of Agriculture continue working with state and local officials on the ground towards a solution to ensure the complete eradication of this invasive pest. These fruit flies are considered to be one of the most dangerous species to the crops of Florida, and if allowed to spread, could have detrimental effects on our agriculture community. I was proud to lead this letter and have the support of nineteen fellow Florida members of Congress in seeking an immediate remedy to ensuring the Oriental fruit fly does not impede our agriculture community.”
Miami Dade agriculture is a $1.6 billion industry and supports 11,000 jobs.
Reach Kevin Derby at kderby@sunshinestatenews.com or follow him on Twitter: @KevinDerbySSN
