NOTICES
DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Rescission of Quarantine Orders and Programs Relating to Plum Pox Virus Recitals
[43 Pa.B. 682]
[Saturday, February 2, 2013]A. The Plant Pest Act (act) (3 P. S. §§ 258.1—258.27) empowers the Department of Agriculture (Department) to take various measures to detect, contain and eradicate plant pests in this Commonwealth.
B. The powers granted to the Department under section 21 of the act (3 P. S. § 258.21) include the power to establish quarantines to prevent the dissemination of plant pests within this Commonwealth.
C. Plum Pox Virus (PPV) is a serious plant pest, indigenous to Europe. It injures and damages stone fruits such as peaches, nectarines, plums and apricots by drastically reducing the fruit yields from these stone fruit trees and by disfiguring the fruit to the point that it is unmarketable.
D. PPV has the potential to cause serious damage to the stone fruit production industry within this Commonwealth. It is transmitted from infected trees by aphids and by budding or grafting and can be spread into new areas by movement of infected nursery stock. The movement of PPV-infected fruit trees poses a danger to stone fruit trees in noninfected areas. There is no known control for PPV other than destruction of infected trees.
E. Since 1999, the Department has issued a series of orders addressing the presence of PPV in several townships and boroughs. The orders established quarantines and programs relating to the detection, containment and eradication of PPV. The Department's efforts have been successful, and PPV has not been detected in this Commonwealth for over 6 years.
F. The Department is satisfied it is appropriate to rescind the remaining Orders of Quarantine. These remaining orders apply to portions of Franklin Township and Menallen Township, Adams County, and a portion of South Middleton Township, Cumberland County.
G. The Department is satisfied it is appropriate to rescind the remaining programs relating to the detection, containment and eradication of PPV. These include the Plum Pox Virus Commercial Orchard Fruit Tree Indemnity Program, the Plum Pox Virus Commercial Nursery Fruit Tree Indemnity Program, the Plum Pox Virus Noncommercial Prunus Tree and Landscape Nursery Prunus Tree Indemnity Program and the Plum Pox Virus Untended Stone Fruit Orchard Indemnity Program. Each of these programs has served its purpose and is no longer needed.
Order
Under authority of section 21 of the act, and with the foregoing recitals incorporated herein, the Department hereby orders the following:
1. The quarantine of part of Franklin Township, in Adams County, which was established by order published at 36 Pa.B. 6108 (October 7, 2006), and any subsequent orders amending the terms of that quarantine, are hereby rescinded.
2. The quarantine of part of Menallen Township, in Adams County, which was confirmed by order published at 35 Pa.B. 6543 (December 3, 2005), and any subsequent orders amending the terms of that quarantine, are hereby rescinded.
3. The quarantine of part of South Middleton Township, in Cumberland County, which was confirmed by order published at 37 Pa.B. 5902 (November 3, 2007), and any subsequent orders amending the terms of that quarantine, are hereby rescinded.
4. The order establishing the Plum Pox Virus Commercial Orchard Fruit Tree Indemnity Program, which was published at 30 Pa.B. 4014 (August 5, 2000), and subsequent orders amending that program, are hereby rescinded.
5. The order establishing the Plum Pox Virus Commercial Nursery Fruit Tree Indemnity Program, which was published at 30 Pa.B. 4737 (September 9, 2000), and subsequent orders amending that program, are hereby rescinded.
6. The order establishing the Plum Pox Virus Noncommercial Prunus Tree and Landscape Nursery Prunus Tree Indemnity Program, which was published at 31 Pa.B. 2936 (June 9, 2001), and subsequent orders amending that program, are hereby rescinded.
7. The order establishing the Plum Pox Virus Untended Stone Fruit Orchard Indemnity Program, which was published at 34 Pa.B. 4928 (September 4, 2004), and subsequent orders amending that program, are hereby rescinded.
8. With the issuance of this order, all of the pre-existing PPV-related quarantines and programs described above are rescinded.
9. This order is effective as of January 21, 2013.
GEORGE D. GRIEG,
Secretary
[Pa.B. Doc. No. 13-181. Filed for public inspection February 1, 2013, 9:00 a.m.]
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