08/24/05 Taiwanese apple inspectors

08/24/05 Taiwanese apple inspectors

As Mark Powers of the Northwest Horticultural Council points out, visits of Taiwanese fruit inspectors to Northwest apple packing plants are nothing new. POWERS: They've been making these visits since probably the mid-nineties. Normally, it's been ever two years, but since the recent market closures starting in about 2002, they've been visiting the region every year. Those closures have been caused by detected coddling moth larvae in west coast apple shipments to Taiwan. And Powers says in lieu of the latest closure, and recent reopening of Taiwan to our apples, this year's series of inspections going on this week take on both a greater significance to some and a new protocol. POWERS: Over this whole week, the inspectors will be with U.S.D.A. folks and the local, state inspectors and industry people going from up in Wenatchee down to Oregon and then ending up in Portland for the exit meeting. That exit meeting will also include Taiwanese inspectors who have visited facilities in Idaho and California this week. Powers adds despite the recent border closure and reopening, the inspections should be viewed as routine. POWERS: We have a work plan in place and we've already started to ship some apples there out of the U.S. So we're able to ship currently. This is more of a case of there coming just to make sure that they have confidence that we're doing as an industry what we're suppose to be doing and that A.P.H.I.S. is doing what it's suppose to be doing.
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