SAG activates intensive surveillance in Copiapó due to Mediterranean fruit fly

The Agricultural and Livestock Service (SAG) activated intensive surveillance in the commune of Copiapó after detecting an adult specimen of the Mediterranean fruit fly (Ceratitis capitata Wied.) and expanded the regulated areas with new quarantine regulations. The measures were published in the Official Gazette of the Republic of Chile on Wednesday, September 23, 2026 (No. 44,556, Section I, General Norms), through exempt resolutions No. 598, No. 504, and No. 505, all from the Atacama Regional Directorate of SAG (references CVE 2870735, CVE 2870736, and CVE 2870737).

Chile is declared a country free of Ceratitis capitata by exempt resolution No. 3,513 of 1995, a regulation that empowers the Service to adopt the necessary phytosanitary measures. On March 17, 2026, a mature fertile male specimen was detected in the urban area of Copiapó, which activated intensive surveillance through exempt resolution No. 133 of 2026. That detection was followed by exempt resolutions No. 167 and No. 168 (April 8, 2026), which defined the regulated areas of 7.2 km and 27.2 km; exempt resolutions No. 204 and No. 205 (April 21), which established the Copiapó 2 outbreak; exempt resolutions No. 244 and No. 245 (May 7), which merged the regulated areas; and exempt resolutions No. 442 and No. 443 (July 10), which expanded the outbreak.

In the same edition of the bulletin, two resolutions were published closing previous foci: the termination of intensive surveillance in Tierra Amarilla (exempt resolution No. 609, CVE 2870734) and in the “Chamonate” sector of Copiapó (exempt resolution No. 650, CVE 2870733), after two theoretical biological cycles were completed without new detections.

“El Alba” Intensive Surveillance in Copiapó

Exempt resolution No. 598, signed in Copiapó on August 19, 2026, by Mei Siu Maggi Achu, Acting Regional Director of Atacama for SAG, declares intensive surveillance due to the detection on August 5, 2026, of an un-inseminated mature fertile female specimen in the urban area of Copiapó, more than 2.25 km from the nearest capture of the Copiapó outbreak.

The surveillance area corresponds to a 4 km radius around the detection, delimited by a polygon of 45 vertices (Datum WGS 84, Zone 19) and named “El Alba”, effective since August 5, 2026. The polygon partially incorporates the commune of Copiapó.

The phytosanitary measures arranged include:

• Trapping and high-sensitivity sampling during two theoretical biological cycles of the insect.
• Trap review twice a week or according to the frequency of the National Fruit Fly Detection System (SNDMF).
• Survey and sampling within a 200-meter radius around the detection, with re-sampling every 7 to 10 days up to a maximum of five.
• Mobile and transitory phytosanitary checkpoints, inside or outside the monitored area.
• Inspection and verification of origin at fruit and vegetable collection centers.

Regulated areas of 7.2 km and 27.2 km for China

Exempt Resolution No. 505 expands, as of August 1, 2026, the 7.2 km regulated area through a polygon of 54 vertices that partially comprises the communes of Copiapó and Tierra Amarilla. Exempt Resolution No. 504 expands, from the same date, the 27.2 km quarantined area required by the China market, with a polygon of 42 vertices over the same communes.

Host plant products packed or inspected until July 31, 2026, are not subject to quarantine measures. Planned actions include the collection and destruction of fallen fruit, tree pruning, soil removal under the canopy, the application of bait-insecticides and systemic insecticides, and the immobilization of fruit, unless expressly authorized by the Service.

Obligations for producers and exporters

• Host fruit orchards and fruit-growing establishments in the 27.2 km area must be registered in the Agricultural Registration System (SRA).
• Producers must report a production estimate by species, variety, and destination at the Copiapó SAG Office, Caupolicán St. No. 1070, starting August 1, 2026.
• Fruit destined for China must be packed and handled only within the regulated area, and air shipments must be prepared from the origin for AMB Airport.
• The use of methyl bromide must be carried out in an authorized chamber located within the regulated area, with a treatment certificate endorsed by a SAG official.
• Means of transport passing through the area must comply with safeguard conditions.

Violations of these resolutions are sanctioned according to Decree Law No. 3,557 of 1980, on Agricultural Protection.

The impact falls directly on the fruit farming of Atacama, one of the country’s main exporting zones: the expansion of the regulated areas forces producers to register, undergo treatments, and certify each shipment, with specific requirements for the Chinese market, while SAG maintains surveillance until the presence of an outbreak is ruled out.

Source: Official Gazette of the Republic of Chile, No. 44,556, Wednesday, September 23, 2026, Section I (General Norms), pages 1-3 (official reference: CVE 2870735, CVE 2870736, and CVE 2870737).