The US Department of Agriculture's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service has released a federal register post announcing that it will allow imports of fresh apples and pears fruit from eight European Union member countries, using a systems approach.
According to the USDA-APHIS statement, the amendment replaces the current pre-clearance programme required for fresh apple and pear imports from Belgium, Germany, France, Italy, Poland Portugal, Spain and the Netherlands.
The EU estimated that, under these proposed guidelines, annual apple and pear exports by the bloc to the United States would total 14,000 tonnes.
The proposed systems approach requires commercial shipments of fresh apple and pear fruit from these countries to be accompanied by a phytosanitary certificate, with additional declaration followed by port of entry inspection.
The proposed risk mitigation measures consist of orchard and packing house certification, inspection of registered orchards twice a season, orchard pest control and sanitation, postharvest safeguards, fruit culling, traceback, sampling, and cold treatment against Medfly in countries where the pest is known to occur.
'Fresh apple and pear fruit that does not meet the requirements in the systems approach would continue to be allowed to be imported into the United States subject to the conditions of the pre-clearance programme,' the report outlined. 'This action would provide an alternative for the importation of fresh apple and pear fruit from certain countries in the European Union while continuing to provide protection against the introduction of plant pests into the continental United States.
'The risk mitigation measures are sufficient to safeguard American agriculture from identified pest risks,' the USDA added.
European welcome
In a statement, EU Health and Food Safety Commissioner Vytenis Andriukaitis, Trade Commissioner Cecilia Malmström and Agriculture Commissioner Phil Hogan welcomed the news.
“We welcome the publication by the USDA of the draft rule as a necessary step in the process to facilitate the export of apples and pears from the European Union to the United States,” they commented.
“It is a welcome reflection of the increased level of engagement by the Commission with the US administration. It will be of significant benefit to European farmers, many of whom lost their main export markets overnight as a result of Russian sanctions imposed in 2014.
“The eventual opening of the US market will not offset the full impact of the sanctions, but it will certainly help the farming community by at least providing another commercial outlet for their produce.”
The commissioners added that they were looking forward to the “rapid completion” of the remaining legal and administrative steps in order to deliver “further tangible benefits” for the EU fruit producers.
“Opening the market for the 2016 harvest, i.e. by September 2016, could be feasible, if all parties continue their efforts.”
