Fumigation Services at Port of Boston Set to End, APHIS Says
Methyl bromide fumigation services in Boston are set to end, after the port’s only approved fumigation company announced plans to discontinue its services, the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service said on June 23 (here). Fumigation services will continue until the fumigator, General Environmental Services, exhausts its remaining supply of methyl bromide gas or by Sept. 1 at the latest, APHIS said. “Based on the amount of fumigant remaining, services will likely end before” Sept. 1, it said.
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If CBP agriculture specialists detect actionable pests during inspections of imported cargo in Boston after fumigation services are discontinued, such shipments will only be eligible for re-export or destruction, APHIS said. The shipment will not be allowed to be transported to another port for treatment, it said. “Methyl bromide treatments for quarantine pests require a USDA-approved fumigator to conduct the treatment; the USDA cannot conduct the treatments,” APHIS said. If another fumigation company is interested in providing fumigation services in Boston, it should contact USDA at (203) 741-5644 for additional information, it said.