Governor declares state of emergency in fruit fly-infested San Diego County

Wednesday December 18, 2002

SACRAMENTO (AP) Gov. Gray Davis declared a state of emergency Wednesday in an area of San Diego County where avocado and citrus growers are battling a Mexican fruit fly infestation.

``The Mexican fruit fly is a very destructive pest that has the potential to wipe out agriculture as we know it,'' Davis said.

State and federal officials earlier this month imposed a quarantine across 117 square miles of northern San Diego County. About 1,000 growers in the area produce an estimated $75 million worth of food each year.

In the declaration, the governor ordered the California Department of Food and Agriculture to put together a program to eradicate the fly. If left unchecked, the flies could spread across the state and cause an estimated $750 million to $2 billion worth of damage, according to the governor's office.

The declaration allows the governor to shift money as necessary to cover the costs of eradication. It also makes it easier for the Department of Food and Agriculture use the resources of other state agencies, said Steve Lyle, a department spokesman.

(Copyright 2002 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)