Florida officials bust nursery in shipping of canker-infected trees
Published on
11/23/2009 03:50PM
Florida agriculture officials have cracked down on a nursery that allegedly tried shipping citrus canker-infected trees out of a quarantined area.
In mid-November, the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services arrested two Clermont, Fla., nursery owners for allegedly breaking the state’s laws regarding moving citrus products from quarantined locations.
Officers arrested Gary Mahon and his mother, Shelby Mahon, who own John’s Citrus Trees nursery and have charged them with knowingly trying to sell infected plants.
The arrests came after an early October incident in north Florida along Interstate 10 when the agency detained a rental truck containing citrus trees, according to a news release.
The agency’s Division of Plant Industry inspectors determined some of the trees were canker-infected and alleged the two falsified nursery permits.
The agency sealed the truck and ordered the driver to return the trees to the originating nursery.
An investigation by the state’s Agricultural Law Enforcement agency determined that the suspects were allegedly transporting more than 500 trees from the family’s nursery that is currently under quarantine after the state’s canker outbreak.
Mike Sparks, executive vice president and chief executive officer of Lakeland-based Florida Citrus Mutual, said he believes the incident was isolated and commended the agency for enforcing state and federal quarantine laws.
“It also shows the system is working,” Sparks said. “With our certified nurseries and certified stock, we have a very aggressive statutory-mandated compliance procedure. It is a direct violation of existing rules and protocols. When we get a USDA or state fresh fruit rule, how do we justify the protocols with our brothers in California and Texas? You just can’t let such incidents like this one happen.”
Commodity:
Citrus, Oranges