CORPUS CHRISTI GRANTED COLD TREATMENT STATUS

CORPUS CHRISTI GRANTED COLD TREATMENT STATUS    The U.S. Department of Agriculture will permit the Texas seaport of Corpus Christi    to provide cold treatment services for imported fruit.
   “We have determined that there are biological barriers at this port that, along with certain safeguards, would prevent the introduction of fruit flies and other insect pests into the United States in the unlikely event that they escape from shipments of fruit before the fruit undergoes cold treatment,” the USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service said.
   Under the country’s fruits and vegetables regulations, APHIS allows certain fruits to be imported into the United States if they undergo sustained refrigeration to kill certain insects. “Cold treatment temperatures and the duration of treatment vary according to the type of fruit and the pests involved,” the agency said.