US envoy tours east region in push to halt the fruit fly

Santo Domingo.- US ambassador James Brewster on Friday visited the technical team working in the east region to control the Mediterranean fruit fly (Medfly), which prompted Washington’s ban of Dominican fruits and vegetables.

Brewster, accompanied by US Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) official Erick Hoffman visited the area "to see the protocols and procedures applied to eliminate the fly first hand." according to a presidential release.

In a statement, the Presidency said the visit comes just one day after APHIS lifted the ban on the Hass avocado and green tomatos of Dominican origin, when it was determined they aren’t hosts of the fruit fly (Ceratitis capitata).