As of March 1, 2017, all citrus loads traveling throughout the state of California have to be tarped. This regulation aims to reduce the accidental transportation of the Asian citrus psyllid (ACP).
The Citrus Pest and Disease Prevention Program (CPDPP) is helping to get the word out about the new regulation. “That regulation is stating that every load, regardless of origin or destination, must be tarped,” CPDPP Grower Liaison Erin Betts said. “You don’t have to use a tarp. You can use a van or something that is completely covered on all four sides, down to the bed.”
Counties north of the grapevine region have been noticing a trend with ACP finds in the area, and the new tarping regulation hopes to limit some of the accidental transportation the industry is seeing. “When we started having finds, they were all along the major transportation corridors,” Betts said. “So if we cover these loads that are coming and going from wherever, we are preventing that psyllid from hopping off … at a stop light or a stop sign in the middle of the Citrus Belt, Kern County or anywhere.”