Dutch tomato exporters are unlikely to be able to satisfy strict new import regulations due to be introduced in February for some months, Fruitnet.com understands.
Exporters in the Netherlands have been told that, as of 1 February 2010, they will no longer be able to ship their tomatoes to the US unless they satisfy stringent requirements laid out by the US Department of Agriculture's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS), according to industry association Productschap Tuinbouw.
But, according to the association, it will take 'months' for these requirements to be met and, in the meantime, will lead to a sharp reduction in Dutch tomato shipments across the Atlantic.
The Netherlands' Plant Protection Service (PD) received a message from its US counterparts last week in which emergency measures designed to prevent the spread of the tomato leafminer moth (Tuta absoluta) were outlined.
As a result, from the start of next month tomatoes exported from the European country – which the US considers to be contaminated with the leafminer moth – will require a phytosanitary certificate which either guarantees that they originate from a moth-free area or that they are produced under certain conditions.
The conditions are as follows:
– The production site must be registered with the PD.
– The production site must have double, self-closing mesh doors, with 1.6mm mesh on all other points of entry.
– Regular inspections for leafminer must be carried out during harvesting.
– If leafminer is found within 30 days before harvesting, shipments from that company will be banned until both APHIS and the National Plant Protection Organisation (NPPO) have found the risk has been sufficiently reduced.
– The NPPO must maintain records of Leafminer discovery for more than a year after infestation and monitor inspections programmes at planting sites in accordance with APHIS methods. Changes in registration must be reported to APHIS, which will make visits to registered sites.
However, according to Productschap Tuinbouw, so far neither of the two forms of phytosanitary certificate have been granted to any Dutch tomato exporter, meaning that, from 1 February 2010, the country's tomatoes will no longer have a passport for entry into the US market
'For an area to be certified as pest-free, the US insists on different requirements – for example a US-approved protocol, a US audit, a 60-day wait for entry in the public register – which certainly can take several months to come into effect,' the group said in a statement.
Better for peppers
In stark contrast, exporters have welcomed the news that APHIS has granted access for imported Dutch peppers as of 15 January 2010 after accepting the terms and conditions of a newly drafted Dutch protocol.
However, APHIS will continue to monitor shipments closely – taking a sample of 2 per cent of each export shipment – and has insisted on being provided with producer registration details as well as being notified of any changes to the protocol.
Annual training will have to be given to growers and exporters in order that they can recognise the symptoms and signs of false codling moth.
In addition, export consignments will have to be marked clearly as originating from an area that is certified free of the pest.
