A couple weeks ago I went over to the Maui quarantine
inspection facility, which I was told is the best facility in the State for dealing with invasive species.
Kyle Yagi took me around and showed me how the facility works. First, it’s located right next to the commercial air cargo operators. So when air cargo arrives with produce, it travels just a short distance to a place where the air cargo containers are placed in a secure facility.
box inspecting for invasive pests. This is all done in a secure area where insects, if found, cannot escape.
Giant bug light to attract any flying insects that might have escaped after inspections are completed
If the containers are found to be contaminated, the infested produce goes into an area where the temperature is set below freezing. That ensures that, when the minimum time elapses, all the insects are dead, and then the load is disposed of in the landfill.
It’s being completely frozen until they are sure no insects survive; then they will dispose of it
The Department of Agriculture has told us that it is going to start posting the “frequency of contamination” on its website. Farmers would like to know what imported produce is routinely contaminated, so they can assess whether or not they can produce those products here.
It’s a very impressive facility. It would be good to have one at all the critical points of entry and departure.