09/02/05 Japan complies with WTO on apples

09/02/05 Japan complies with WTO on apples

Washington Ag September 2, 2005 The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative and the USDA announced this week that Japan had agreed to remove its unjustified restrictions on the import of U.S. apples. Japan's action resulted from a dispute won by the United States in the World Trade Organization over Japan's regulations on fireblight, a disease that affects trees but not mature picked fruit. Jim Archer of Northwest Fruit Exporters says gone are all the requirements about buffers and orchard inspections. Archer: "And all that will be required now fore fireblight is just the visual inspections, and if we find apples in the pack that appear to be immature, or have signs of being immature, we'll have a starch iodine test just on those apples and it will be pass or fail on that grower lot." Archer and other industry leaders don't see a dramatic immediate impact from the opening of the Japanese market. In the past the industry did not had much success in the Japanese market when it shipped Red and Golden Delicious apples but now there are newer varieties to appeal to consumers with. Washington Department of Agriculture officials are increasing their apple maggot trapping efforts in the Pasco area due to the trapping recently of an apple maggot fly. A WSDA official says finding a single fly doesn't mean you have an established population and is not a reason for undue concern. Presence of the pest can lead to quarantines and require producers to certify fruit as being apple maggot free. I'm Bob Hoff
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