The Mediterranean fruit fly was spotted for the first time in March 2015 in the Dominican Republic. As soon as the country reported the presence of this major pest, the US banned a list of 18 fruits and vegetables, severely affecting their main source of income after tourism -?agricultural exports.

But thanks to a quick response by the Dominican Republic's Ministry of Agriculture with the support of the IAEA, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), the outbreak was contained in just ten months.