Effective immediately, the USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS), in cooperation with the California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA), is expanding the area quarantined for citrus greening (Huanglongbing; HLB), caused by Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus, in California. APHIS is expanding the quarantined area in the Mission Viejo area of Orange County by 13.16 square miles. APHIS is taking this action because of citrus greening detections in plant tissue samples collected from residential properties in Orange County. There is no commercial citrus impacted by this expansion.
APHIS is applying safeguarding measures outlined in 7 CFR 301.76 and Federal Orders on the interstate movement of regulated articles from the quarantined areas in California. These measures parallel the intrastate quarantine that CDFA established on February 13, 2025. This action is necessary to prevent the spread of citrus greening to non-infested areas of the United States.
The specific changes to the quarantined areas in California can be found on the APHIS Citrus Greening website. APHIS will publish a notice of this change in the Federal Register.
For additional information you may contact:
Abby R. Stilwell
Agriculturist
(919) 323 6296
abby.r.stilwell@usda.gov
Daniel Murphy
Agriculturist
(775) 221-9237
daniel.m.murphy@usda.gov