Ventura County citrus packers are nearing an agreement designed to stop the potential spread of a pest and disease that could decimate California’s citrus industry if it infects the state’s orchards.

After slamming growers in Florida for three years, the Asian citrus psyllid showed up last year near the California-Mexico border and has been found in San Diego and Imperial counties. The tiny insect can carry a disease called Huanglongbing, or citrus greening.

The bacterial wilt is fatal and incurable.

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