Local News in Brief : Food Quarantine Lifted
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A quarantine on the movement of fruits and vegetables from the area around Los Angeles International Airport has been lifted following the eradication of peach and melon fruit flies, it was announced Monday.
County Agricultural Commissioner E. Leon Spaugy said the pests, which threatened local fruit and vegetable crops, were “officially eradicated from Los Angeles County” last Friday, ending a months-long problem.
The movement of various fruits and vegetables attacked by peach and melon flies have been severely restricted since a quarantine was imposed last fall in a roughly 100-square-mile area around the airport.
The discovery of peach fruit flies in the area was first reported last September. Seven melon flies were found last November, marking the first time that multiple flies had been trapped. That discovery led to eradication efforts by local, state and federal agriculture officials.
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