Senator Feinstein Seeks Federal Assistance for San Diego Farmers for Quarantine-Related Losses
December 28, 1999

-- 20 Different Crops with an Estimated Value of $49 million are at Risk --

Washington, D.C. -- To assist San Diego County farmers suffering economic losses from a federally-imposed quarantine, U.S. Senator Dianne Feinstein requested that the U.S. Department of Agriculture explore ways to provide emergency assistance to farmers in a 72-acre quarantine area to help reimburse them for their crop losses.

In a letter to Agriculture Secretary Dan Glickman, Senator Feinstein wrote, “Thus far, the County has documented crop losses of $2.5 million by 83 growers, but the amount is expected to be higher when a comprehensive damage assessment, now underway by the County, is completed.”

“I believe it is incumbent upon the federal government to do all that it can to assist farmers who suffer economic losses because of federally-imposed quarantine requirements.”

Following the discovery of two Mexican fruit flies, the federal government imposed an agricultural quarantine on north San Diego County on November 1, 1999. The quarantine prohibits farmers from shipping certain fresh fruits and vegetables (including avocados, grapefruit, lemons, limes, persimmons and oranges) without meeting specific criteria.

While some growers of avocados have treatment options, including fumigation, that would allow them to market their crops, other growers face total losses because of restrictions on removing fruits and other commodities from the quarantine area, or because of limited treatment alternatives that are available. Especially hard hit will be organic producers and growers of specialty crops such as pomegranate, sapote, guava and cherimoya.

San Diego County is the ninth-ranked agricultural county in California and the top-ranked county in the country in the value and acreage of avocados. San Diego grows 49 percent of California’s avocado production value, which is more than its next four competitor counties combined.