LBAM

New Zealand Compliance Programme
The following link is to the document covering the New Zealand Compliance Programme for light brown apple moth in respect of access to the USA.
http://www.biosecurity.govt.nz/files/regs/exports/plants/cut-flowers/cut-flowers-to-usa.pdf
(pages 34-37 contain the application form for grower and production site registration)

New Zealand growers who are currently eligible to have their product exported to the USA (i.e. currently meet the compliance conditions) can be found on the following links:
In-door Crops
http://www.biosecurity.govt.nz/regs/exports/plants/compliance/cut-flowers-usa/clearance-register-indoor

Out-door Crops (plus registered exporters, packhouses and freight forwarders)
http://www.biosecurity.govt.nz/regs/exports/plants/compliance/cut-flowers-usa/clearance-register-outdoor

The only Independent Verification Agency (IVA) available for carrying out inspections is AsureQuality.
http://www.asurequality.com/

A copy of the work order form for a compliance inspection by AsureQuality is available on the following link:
AsureQuality Works Order Application

APHIS LBAM Classification Continuation
The following link gives details of the APHIS announcement on 10th. February 2014 to continue with the classification of LBAM as an "actionable, quarantine-significant pest".

aphis-2009-0101-0118.pdfdownload PDF (207.4 KB)

The following link gives an indication of the impact of the LBAM control regulations on growers in areas affected in California.

http://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=17366

Funding cut LBAM programme California. (March 2012)
The following article gives information about the removal of funding for the LBAM programme by the
Californian Authorities (Federal funding remains) along with a summary of the divergent points of view regarding the need for the programme.  The article is from Sonoma County which is one of the more seriously affected counties in terms of the quarantine restrictions. (The article is written by the entertainments editor - science fiction or fun ???)
Newspaper article - Funding Cut Announcement

The following link gives information about the removal of funding, the continuation of quarantine restrictions and the incidence of other troublsome pests in California.
http://napavalleyregister.com/news/local/state-drops-funds-to-fight-light-brown-apple-moth/article_c79c1c2e-56c7-11e1-8da5-0019bb2963f4.html

The following link to the Western Growers (California, Arizona) site shows their continued concern about LBAM in California (August 2013)
http://www.wga.com/blog/2013/08/08/aphis-backs-continuation-lbam-order

The next article gives some of the producers views on the likely impact of the funding cuts on their immediate operations.
Newspaper article - Impact of LBAM funding cut on growers

It seems that the funding cuts are largely a budgetary issue but they coupled with the closure of the Sterile Insect Laboratory at Moss Landing http://www.santacruzsentinel.com/ci_19706522?source=pkg give a clear indication that the LBAM programme is in a holding phase.  Moth numbers continue to increase in the areas of original infestation and the geographical area covered by the moth in California continues to increase (no moths have been detected in the USA outside the states of Hawaii and California).  No major crop damage has however been reported so the potential economic impact of the pest in California is being questioned.

Whether or not these events indicate that the LBAM will be reclassified is unclear as the classification applies nationally and not just to California and the process for reclassification seems to be potentially very long as indicated by the following article on European Pepper Moth (EPM). It seems to be widespread in the USA and is mainly a problem in greenhouses rather than to the broader environment.
http://ucanr.org/sites/UCNFAnews/Feature_Stories/European_Pepper_Moth__A_New_Invasive_Moth_Threatens_California_Agriculture/

Source of Californian infestation:
A paper published by a group of researchers based in Hawaii in January 2011 investigated the  mitochondrial DNA of LBAM in New Zealand, Australia, California and Hawaii.  It concluded that, "New Zealand or Australia is the source of the California invasion. ....... Future efforts to control invasions through these (trade) pathways are essential, not just for LBAM but also for other pests from New Zealand and Australia that pose a risk to California's environmental and agricultural biosecurity."  The paper also concluded that there had only been one incursion of LBAM into Hawaii but that there had been multiple incursions into California. 
http://www.plosone.org/article/info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.pone.0016361


Insecticide treatment Eggs and Larvae:
In California it is important for nurseries and other horticultural enterprises, where quarantines are applied, that effective spray programmes are available to control not only the adult moths but also the eggs and larvae.  This is also of importance to New Zealand cymbidium growers whose growing facilities are inspected to ensure that they are totally free of all life forms of LBAM. The detection of egg rafts delay approvals and increase inspection costs as laboratory inspection and possibly DNA testing is required.  An investigation has been carried out in California and Australia to determine the effectiveness of various chemicals as ovicides and larvacides for LBAM.   The first results were published in April 2012 and covered the following chemicals:
Bt (Bacillus thuringiensis) ssp. kurstaki, Bt ssp. kurstaki + horticultural oil, spinosad, spinosad + horticultural oil, methoxyfenozide, methoxyfenozide + horticultural oil, horticultural oil (petroleum oil), lambda-cyhalothrin, emmamectin benzoate, chlorantraniliprole, indoxacarb, diflubenzuron.

It was found that the addition of horticultural oils to the sprays did not improve the effectiveness of the control programme. More data collection was planned for the summer of 2011.

The full text of the paper can be found on the following link:
Treatment Eggs and Larvae

Field Control Measures:
The following link to a University of California article gives the results of trials of various methods to control LBAM numbers in the field (Note: the reference to the future use of sterile males is not relevant as the SIT programme for LBAM has been discontinued).
http://ucanr.org/sites/UCNFAnews/Regional_Report_Santa_Cruz_Monterey_Cos/Spring_2011__Light_brown_apple_moth_management_in_nursery_stock__Mating_disruption_control_strategy_proven_useful_but_incomplete/

Some Historical Research Findings:
Light brown apple moth has been a problem in Australia and New Zealand for a long time and considerable research has been undertaken to study its habits and thereby to develop methods of control and management.  Some abstracts of this work are included in the following link.
Abstract Links

LBAM Programme Official Data:
The official source of information on the LBAM programme in California is the CDFA website.  This contains press releases, trapping information, quarantine maps etc.
http://www.cdfa.ca.gov/plant/pdep/lbam/lbam_main.html

Additional information on the quarantine and research aspects of the programme can be found on the USDA site assigned to Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service.
http://www.aphis.usda.gov/plant_health/cphst/lbam-unit.shtml

Abbreviations for US institutions:
USDA - United States Department of Agriculture
APHIS - Animal and Plant Inspection Service
CDFA - California Department of Food and Agriculture


Report on IPM LBAM New Zealand:
As part of the response to the LBAM eradication programme in California a study of the current status of LBAM in New Zealand was undertaken by Daniel Harder, Ph.D. Executive Director
The Arboretum, University of California at Santa Cruz and Jeff Rosendale, Grower, Horticultural Consultant
The report contains much useful information for New Zealand flower growers affected by the LBAM programme.  It emphasises the importance natural predators for the control of LBAM populations and the negative effects of the indiscriminate use of broad-based organophosphate insecticides. A full copy of the report appears on the following link.

http://www.pesticidefreezone.org/HarderNZReportFINAL.pdf

Petition for re-classification from Class A to Class C Actionable Pest (Summary)
The following link contains the official summary of the petition presented in January 2009 by a group in California to have the classification of LBAM changed so that it was no longer an actionable pest.  The summary contains a brief history of the events leading up to the imposition of international import controls and the implementation of the eradication and quarantine programs within California.
http://www.lbamspray.com/Reports/ReclassificationPetitionSummaryRU.pdf

The following link is to the full petition.  There is a specific section on LBAM in New Zealand and a full description of the LBAM lifecycle.  On page 31 there is a diagram showing the life stages of LBAM in New Zealand and Australia.
http://lbamspray.com/Reports/Reclassification%20Petition%20Final%201.0.pdf

Six Months On
The following link is to a paper presented at a NCGA field-day on the implementation of the indoor and outdoor compliance programme.  A presentation was also made by New Zealand Bloom (a New Zealand flower exporter with offices in the USA) on practical aspects of implementing the programme from an exporters point of view.
Workshop Discussion Paper

Early Impressions of the New Zealand In-door Compliance Programme:
The following link is to an article which appeared in the New Zealand Grower in September 2008.  It gives a cymbidium grower's view of the situation shortly after the USA market had been reopened for cut flowers from certified greenhouses in New Zealand.
http://growernews.co.nz/flowers_newsletter.htm?id=15

Market Closure and Reopening:
USA Cut-flower Market Reopened.
The following article gives details of the reopening of the cut-flower market in the USA for both in-door and out-door crops.
http://www.stuff.co.nz/environment/698306/NZ-flower-growers-exporters-get-access-to-US

The following link is to a NZPA press announcement concerning the closure of the USA market to flowers exported from New Zealand.  It also contains comments by Greg Keymer from Eastern and Global on the implications of the closure to New Zealand's flower growers and exporters.
NZPA Announcement LBAM Ban