North County Needs Its Own ‘No-Fly Zone’
Opinion
by Bill Horn
It’s time to get serious about protecting part of San Diego County’s fourth-largest industry.
For the second time in three years, the county’s $75 million citrus and avocado industry has been invaded by Mexican fruit flies. In 1999, more than 100 farmers in Fallbrook lost $3.5 million in crops.
The latest infestation is the worst in the history of our county and the first time in 50 years that fruit fly larvae was found. Nearly 1,000 growers and $75 million worth of crops in North County are in peril.
The response from federal authorities in the past has been tepid and economically shortsighted. After the Fallbrook crisis, 17 new agriculture inspectors were hired at the U.S.-Mexico border. This was nowhere near enough to stop the invasion of a pest with the potential of destroying billions of dollars in produce throughout the state of California.
Much of America and parts of the world rely on produce grown locally and throughout California. Forty percent of the nation’s avocado production comes from San Diego County.
Secretary of State Colin Powell recently completed a two-day trip to Mexico City to attend the Bi-National Commission meetings between the United States and Mexico. Part of the discussions centered on the North American Free Trade Agreement.
This agreement should require Mexico to increase its inspections and treatment of fruit it ships north. Mexican fruit is not adequately treated.
It’s harder for us to take fruit into Arizona than it is for Mexicans to ship it into the United States from Mexico. Many Mexican officials are demanding changes to eliminate tariffs on a range of farm goods beginning Jan. 1.
The response to our neighbors to the south is, “We don’t mind your fruit. We don’t want your bugs.”
Our federal government has a duty to protect Americans by controlling our borders. This includes protection from undocumented immigrants, illegal drugs and infected agricultural products.
Some smugglers have used Mexican fruit shipments to conceal their drugs. Homeland security also should include economic security.
San Diego’s congressional delegation must find a way to enforce our own local “no-fly zone” when it comes to keeping out Mexican fruit flies and other pests. We need a coordinated effort between the U.S. Agriculture Department, Customs, the Immigration and Naturalization Service, Border Patrol, state and county agricultural officials to protect our local and national interests.
There has to be more state funding for detection activities and agriculture crime prevention. We appreciate the state’s increased funding to trap fruit flies in urban centers.
However, we need the same funding in rural areas such as Valley Center and Fallbrook where the bulk of our agriculture grows.
America has the know-how to protect our produce and eradicate would-be infestation. We need more inspections of Mexican fruit, not less. We need greater vigilance of seemingly innocent containers of Mexican fruit, including the lunch bags of farm workers who come into the U.S. Individuals should not be allowed to bring fruit across the border.
Smoke and fire get our attention. When brush fires break out in San Diego County, sirens sound and we act quickly to meet the emergency.
We should have the same response to a ravenous pest with an insatiable appetite that threatens to inflict far more economic damage than all of our wild fires put together.
Horn is supervisor of the county’s 5th District, which covers much of North County.