The Caribbean Fruit Fly-Free Protocol is a body of regulations under which fresh Florida citrus fruit may be certified free of the Caribbean fruit fly and shipped to those domestic and foreign markets that have established regulations for this pest. Japan, Bermuda, and the states of California, Hawaii, and Texas have accepted this certification protocol, thereby eliminating the need for post-harvest treatments of citrus fruits.

The Caribbean fruit fly (Caribfly), Anastrepha suspensa (Lowe), is indigenous to the West Indies. It was first found on the Florida mainland in the Miami-Dade area in 1965. The Caribfly larva attacks the fruit of many tropical and subtropical fruits of Central and South Florida. Due to the threat of the Caribfly infesting Florida fruit, other countries and states have established regulations to control its spread.

In the 1980s, the Caribbean Fruit Fly Protocol Program was designed as a safe and effective way to facilitate the export of citrus to areas requiring regulatory safeguards. Today, the types of fruit being certified are: citrus, peach and carambola. Certification is based on the fruit being harvested from specific Caribbean Fruit Fly Protocol Program-controlled areas termed designated areas. The Caribbean Fruit Fly Protocol Program provides survey and removal of preferred hosts (guava, Surinam cherry, loquat and rose apple) throughout the off-season. The program also includes monitoring of: traps, harvesting, packinghouses and bait spray applications during the harvest season. 

The Caribbean Fruit Fly Protocol Program is a voluntary program that was developed in cooperation with Florida fruit growers and is fully funded by the participants.  

The Caribbean Fruit Fly Protocol Program is administered by the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (FDACS), in cooperation with the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, Plant Protection and Quarantine. 

Citrus Certification

Currently, the Caribbean Fruit Fly Protocol Program certifies grapefruit, oranges and tangerines for export to: California, Texas, Republic of Korea, Japan and various other states and countries. For more details, see the resources below:

• California Protocol (QC 222) [ 3.4 MB ]
• Citrus Certification Easy Steps [ 643.6 kB ]
• Citrus Harvesting Easy Steps [ 629.5 kB ]
• Citrus Packinghouse Easy Steps [ 614 kB ]
• Japan Protocol Florida Citrus [ 57.6 kB ]
• Korea Protocol Florida Citrus [ 382.8 kB ]
• Texas Caribfly Regulations [ 220.5 kB ]

Domestic Peach Certification

Groundbreaking protocols were established in 2014 with a Peach Protocol now in place for shipment of peaches to Texas. For more details, see the following:

• Peach Easy Steps [ 635.9 kB ]  
• Peach Protocol — Texas [ 76.3 kB ]

Domestic Carambola Program

Our newest program, Protocol for Shipment of Carambola (Star Fruit), began its first season in June 2015. For more details, see the following:

• Approved Carambola Packing Houses and Shippers List [ 109.6 kB ]
• Carambola Easy Steps [ 668.5 kB ]
• Carambola Protocol (QC 1439) — California [ 281.3 kB ]
• Carambola Protocol — Texas [ 68 kB ]

More Information

• More Information About the Caribbean Fruit Fly