LAKE COUNTY — The California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) lifted the European grapevine moth (EVGM) quarantine in Lake County, according to a CDFA statement released Feb. 4.
“Though this release from the quarantine means Lake County will have more freedom to ship fruit out of county, state and even to foreign countries, we will still be trapping and monitoring for the moth,” Kris Eutenier, the county”s deputy agricultural commissioner, said.
The quarantine had been in place since spring 2010 when several moths were detected in portions of northern Napa County, the CDFA said.
Subsequent reviews by the CDFA, the U.S. Department of Agriculture and an international EVGM workgroup determined that no moths were detected in Lake County and the county met the requirements for lifting the quarantine, the CDFA said.
The EVGM larvae pose the greatest risk to grape plants, according to the CDFA. The EVGM, which is found on five continents, primarily affects grapes, but has been found to feed on other crops, the CDFA said.
“Quarantines are a necessary step in controlling and eradicating pest infestations,” CDFA Secretary Karen Ross said in the statement.?”This quarantine has helped us substantially reduce the infestation in California”s Wine Country region in recent months, and removing Lake County from the regulated area is further evidence of that progress.”
Quarantines remain in nearby counties, including Napa, Sonoma and Solano, and isolated infestations have been found in small areas of Mendocino County, the CDFA said.
Eutenier said the county will inspect all shipments of grapes from quarantined areas and asks local growers not to relocate any plant from a quarantine area without having the plant inspected by the county”s Agriculture Department.
“We all need to be very vigilant and protect the agriculture industry of Lake County as well as all of California,” Eutenier said.
