Pest Control - Uninformed fruit growers pose risk to ag economy

Dec 24, 2009, 12:40 PM by User Not Found

By MORGAN COOK - mcook@nctimes.com | Posted: Tuesday, December 22, 2009 6:20 pm |

County agriculture officials said Monday some farmers have harvested untreated fruit from their properties inside the Mediterranean fruit fly quarantine in Fallbrook, making it more difficult to contain the produce-threatening pest.

Since the quarantine was established in early November, inspectors have prevented farmers from moving a total of 247 boxes of untreated persimmons from three locations and ten 15-gallon buckets of untreated avocados from a grove, said county Agriculture Commissioner Bob Atkins.

Atkins said inspectors have also talked to several cherimoya growers who weren't aware of the quarantine.

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