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August 20, 2002, Oxnard, Calif….. "The Mediterranean Fruit Fly is to the fresh fruit industry what hoof-and-mouth disease is to the livestock industry," said Al Williams, Chairman of the Board of Sunkist Growers, as he testified at the USDA hearing on the importation of Spanish clementines. "It is potential devastation." Williams testified both on behalf of the 6,000 grower-members of Sunkist, the citrus marketing cooperative, and "as a concerned grower of one of the over 250 commodities grown in the U.S. which are vulnerable to the highly destructive MedFly." In the early 1980s, said Williams, MedFly infestations wreaked economic havoc on the agricultural industry, the State of California and the federal government. Hundreds of millions of dollars were spent combating those infestations and millions more were lost by growers unable to market fruit from quarantined production areas. Since then, ongoing preventative efforts have spared the state another widespread infestation. Late last year, however, the potential of a Medfly outbreak became very real when infested Spanish fruit escaped detection at East Coast ports-of-entry and was delivered to markets throughout the U.S. Fortunately, quick governmental action stopped what was one of the largest legal import pest incidents in the history of USDA. Just nine months later, the government is planning an expedited resumption of clementine imports from Spain and "we are understandably concerned," stated Williams. Shortly after the pest invasion last year, a USDA inspection team dispatched to Spain's citrus production areas found a number of major deficiencies -- in trapping and bait spray activities and in fruit cutting and monitoring programs -- as well as a lack of data, documentation and oversight. "Such deficiencies would never be tolerated in the U.S.," said Williams. "They should never have been tolerated for Spanish clementines destined for our markets, and they can never again be tolerated for Spain or any other country seeking to ship produce into the U.S. marketplace from production areas of documented pest or disease." Adherence to phytosanitary standards in Spanish clementine production areas, as evidenced by their infested fruit and the findings of USDA's own inspections, has been non-existent, he said. "It is only reasonable for the U.S. to ask if Spain can truly address such wide-ranging deficiencies and, in only nine months, be operating a non-detectable pest level of citrus production for export." "What assurances are provided for compliance enforcement? How will compliance be verified? Will USDA rely upon the same authorities whose alleged oversight resulted in live Medfly larvae being delivered to U.S. markets last year?" All fair questions he says. USDA must ensure the systems and controls established by the final rule are effective and practical for dealing with Spain's endemic Medfly infestation. Failure to adhere to these rules must bring consequences sufficient to ensure that Spanish growers and shippers take seriously their obligations for Medfly management and eradication. "American citrus growers are held to that standard," said Williams. "Offshore producers seeking the financial benefits of the U.S. marketplace must be also." The Spanish, as well as other foreign producers, already receive preferential import treatment, he said. If a temporary Medfly infestation occurs in the U.S., the citrus in the quarantine area cannot move to market. In contrast, USDA will allow foreign-origin fruit from permanently-infested production areas to be brought into the U.S., provided the pest detections are relatively low and the fruit is cold-treated. "Why does our government give this advantage to foreign producers while denying it to American producers?" asks Williams. In another move, contrary to its own scientific findings, USDA is considering a limited distribution plan which would delay the entry of Spanish clementines into citrus-producing areas in the U.S. for up to one full shipping season. "However," said Williams, "since there are over 250 different commodities besides citrus that are vulnerable to Medfly, excluding imports into only the citrus-producing states is not sufficient. That means that 12 of 17 states with vulnerable commodities could still be eligible for the imports. To assure a much-needed measure of security, exclusion of all states vulnerable on the basis on their climatic conditions and their production, must be part of the final rule during the first two seasons of Spain's return to the US market," he said. "It is not the responsibility of the United States to facilitate the importation of commodities that fail to meet scientifically-justified standards demanded of American growers. The burden lies solely upon the Spanish -- to remedy their endemic Medfly infestation and to demonstrate the effectiveness of that remedy prior to receiving the privilege of selling their fruit in the U.S. marketplace. In November, the Spanish could not meet that minimum requirement," said Williams. "Again we must ask, what dramatic changes have occurred in the interim to ensure our phytosanitary security now?" # # # Sunkist Growers is a grower-owned citrus marketing cooperative comprised of 6,000 citrus growers in California and Arizona. The cooperative will submit comprehensive technical comments on various aspects of the terms and conditions of importation described in the proposed rule prior to the close of the comment period.
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