Senator Feinstein Urges Attorney General Ashcroft to
Vigorously Prosecute Agricultural Smugglers
- Feinstein will also work to Provide Federal Assistance -
November 26, 2002
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Washington, DC - In light of the recent fruit fly outbreak in San Diego County, Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) today called upon Attorney General John Ashcroft to vigorously prosecute criminals who smuggle agricultural produce across the Mexican border.

In her letter to Attorney General Ashcroft, Senator Feinstein wrote: "San Diego County is experiencing one of its worst agricultural disasters in the past 50 years. Dozens of Mexican fruit flies and some larvae have been detected and a quarantine is almost certain to be announced soon that will cover 100 square miles of northern San Diego County. According to officials at the U.S. Department of Agriculture approximately one thousand growers and crops valued at almost $80 million are at risk. Additionally, 25 percent of California's entire avocado crop may be quarantined.

Last year I introduced legislation which was included in the Farm Bill to raise sentences for illegal produce smuggling. I believe it is vital for U.S. Attorneys to prosecute these cases, which they have not done previously, to strengthen our border against pests and diseases that threaten agriculture.

Unfortunately, the current infestation is not a new problem for farmers in San Diego County who are extremely vulnerable to invasive species disasters. The last time the county imposed a quarantine was in October 1999, when two adult Mexican fruit flies were discovered in traps in downtown Fallbrook and a 72 square mile area of San Diego County was quarantined. The quarantine effected 1,470 growers of at least 20 specialty crops. Then, as now, it was clear to local officials the fruit flies came up the highway from the Mexican border. The state and federal government spent about $3 million to eradicate the Mexican fruit flies in Fallbrook during that quarantine, which lasted seven months. The losses to growers totaled about $3.5 million.

Fighting this infestation will also be costly. I will work hard to provide federal assistance to California growers, but I believe this widespread invasion of foreign species requires a strong federal response from the Justice Department. We need to vigorously prosecute criminals to keep pests like the Mexican fruit fly out of the United States in the first place.

Thank you very much for your immediate attention to this matter. I hope your department will send a strong message to our farmers and growers that the federal government is committed to protecting our farms from invasive species."

As a member of the Senate Agricultural Appropriations Subcommittee, Senator Feinstein has been a leader in the fight against invasive species which threaten both California and U.S. agricultural sectors. Senator Feinstein has helped to provide funding for: implementation of the California Department of Food and Agriculture action plan to combat Pierce's Disease; 17 additional inspectors at the border to prevent import of invested agricultural products; USDA research for remedies to Pierce's Disease; the University of California Center for Exotic Pest Research; and the Fruit Fly Exclusion and Detection Program.

A copy of Senator Feinstein's letter to Attorney General Ashcroft is available upon request.

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