USDA RESTRICTS BROWNSVILLE’s, HIDALGO’s HANDLING OF MEXICAN CITRUS

USDA RESTRICTS BROWNSVILLEÆS, HIDALGOÆS HANDLING OF MEXICAN CITRUS    The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service will no longer permit the Texas ports of Brownsville and Hidalgo to handle in-transit shipments of Mexican oranges, tangerines and grapefruit.
   The agency has also removed Brownsville as an authorized seaport for exports of untreated Mexican citrus.
   “We are taking these actions because neither port has been used for these purposes in over 20 years,” APHIS said. “These actions will update the (plant quarantine safeguard) regulations so that they accurately reflect the ports used for importation and exportation by water of untreated citrus from Mexico.”