[for comments to stakeholders up to 2023-03-09] 

The purpose of this report is to assess the pest risks associated with importing commercially produced fresh fruit of various blueberries, Vaccinium angustifolium (lowbush blueberry), V. corymbosum (highbush blueberry), V. meridionale (Andean blueberry), and V. virgatum (syn. V. ashei, rabbiteye blueberry)] (Ericaceae), from Colombia into the United States for consumption.

Based on the market access request submitted by Colombia, we considered the pathway to include the following processes and conditions: fresh blueberries will be imported year-round using standard field, harvest, and post-harvest procedures, including culling any rotten or infested fruit. The pest risk ratings depend on the application of all conditions of the pathway as described in this document; blueberries produced under different conditions were not evaluated and may pose a different pest risk.

We used scientific literature, port-of-entry pest interception data, and information from the government of Colombia to develop a list of pests with quarantine significance for the United States. These are pests that occur in Colombia on any host and are associated with the commodity plant species anywhere in the world.

The following organism is a candidate for pest risk management because it has met the threshold for unacceptable consequences of introduction and can follow the commodity import pathway:

- Anastrepha fraterculus

The following organism is likely to follow the pathway but was not assessed in this document because it has already been determined to pose an unacceptable risk to the United States. Domestic regulations are in place for this pest:

- Ceratitis capitata