The Italian government is understood to be redoubling its efforts in collaboration with other partners across the EU to remove existing barriers that prevent European apples and pears from entering the US.
Access to the US for fresh fruit and vegetables grown in the EU is currently prohibited unless a detailed protocol has been negotiated between government officials.
Speaking at the opening of this year's Italian fresh produce trade event Macfrut in Cesena, Italy's minister of agriculture Mario Catania confirmed his government's continued involvement.
"As a ministry we are working with the US to remove phytosanitary barriers for European apples and pears," he said.
According to Freshfel Europe, the European fresh produce association, that process has proven on a number of occasions to be a "timely and costly process" for European producers, especially as a posiive outcome in such cases is by no means assured.
Negotiations between the EU and the US to establish a common plant health protocol allowing apple and pear imports from seven EU member states – Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Portugal and Spain got underway in 2009, but are still ongoing and apparently a long way from reaching any conclusion.
"Among the difficulties," explained Freshfel general delegate Philippe Binard, "one could stress the endless discussion on pests, which goes beyond the pest list specified in the US Federal Register."
Moreover, with EU exporters favouring a scheme that avoids the high cost of pre-clearing their products, the US administration has been accused of stalling because it is apparently reluctant to discuss alternatives.
For his part, Catania said there was still more work to be done not only to open such doors but also to recapture the imagination of consumers and increase the intake of fresh fruit and vegetables.
"Fresh produce has the same potential as wine and is the category within the food sector which can grow the most," he observed.
