The Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS), in coordination with the Texas Department of Agriculture (TDA), has established and expanded citrus canker quarantines in multiple new areas of Texas, effective immediately.

APHIS designated a new quarantined area in the Harlingen area of Cameron County and expanded existing quarantines in the Rancho Viejo and Los Fresnos areas of Cameron County, as well as in the Pharr and Hidalgo areas of Hidalgo County.

The action follows detections of citrus canker in plant tissue samples collected from residential properties in Cameron and Hidalgo counties, located in the Lower Rio Grande Valley.

Under federal quarantine regulations, the interstate movement of citrus plants and plant parts, excluding commercially packed and disinfected citrus fruit, is prohibited. Citrus nursery stock may move from quarantined areas only if it complies with APHIS requirements. TDA has established parallel intrastate quarantines in the affected areas.