04/01/05 EU deadline for fruit inspections, Pt2

04/01/05 EU deadline for fruit inspections, Pt2

With new European Union requirements of one-hundred per cent inspection of produce and plant materials starting today, the fact that the U.S. does not get a reduced inspection exemption as many of its competitors due to an unintentional oversight had American fruit industry and U.S. government officials worried. The delegation that included Mark Powers of the Northwest Horticultural Council met with European counterparts to discuss the matter. POWERS: The U.S. government was assured that a way would be found to meet the intent of the regulations, and would not become a barrier to trade. Now our apples, pears and cherries still must have full inspection for the time being. But Powers says the E.U. is helping U.S. fruit shippers get around that. POWERS: Officially, the apples probably will not qualify for reduced inspection levels until late summer, perhaps early fall. But as a practical reality & the United Kingdom & they don't have staff on hand anyway to conduct one hundred per cent inspections. It could be longer, about a full season, before cherries are eligible for reduced inspections. And that led to concern that cherries exported to Europe would be left outside during hot weather conditions prior to inspection. POWERS: Cherries will be allowed to clear customs as they have historically done to the importer's cold storage facility and that's where any inspections will occur.
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