The United Stated Department of Agriculture, Foreign Agriculture Service (USDA), has posted an update to the new Zika requiremnts for export shipments to China.On September 2, AQSIQ made the decision to regionalize the requirements for shipments that originate in the United States. Vessels that originate from the United States, except Florida, do not require disinsection certification. Any cargo originating from the state of Florida will also require proof of disinsection upon arrival at any Chinese port, whether by air or ocean.Disinsection treatment may be carried out by either physical or chemical means, and does not require fumigation. Physical means could include trapping, air curtains, or other integrated pest-management techniques. Chemical means could include surface spraying, space spraying, or fumigation, depending on the shipper’s choice. Treatment can be carried out at any point during the shipping process. It is also acceptable for containers to be disinsected prior to loading and certified as mosquito free, then loaded in a mosquito-free environment.As of today, these new requirements will be in effect until March 2017, but are certainly subject to updates at any time.V. Alexander encourages its customers to continue to communicate with their Chinese customers to determine the best method for disinsection and most cost efficient method of compliance with the new Zika requirements.The full article posted by USDA may be found here.