Readers Sound Off On Possible Chinese Apples Imports

China red applesThe USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) recently proposed to amend the fruits and vegetables regulations to allow the importation of fresh apples from China into the continental United States.

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In a poll on GrowingProduce.com, 93% of respondents voted that the U.S. should not open its borders to Chinese apples. At first glance this issue seems black and white, however there are benefits to the U.S. apple industry.

Growers, especially those in Washington who produce about two-thirds of the U.S. crop, need to develop new export markets, with U.S. apple consumption remaining largely flat over the past few decades. By opening U.S. borders to Chinese apples, American growers should, in turn, be able to gain access to the biggest market in the world. It’s also a market that is growing much, much faster than that of the U.S.

According to APHIS, there would be protections in place from Chinese pests, even in those areas where Oriental fruit fly is not known to exist. There would be additional safeguards when importation is from places where the fly has been found.

Growers, consumers, and researchers commented on the possible fallout from the APHIS proposal on the Apple Crop listserve and on GrowingProduce.com:

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“I don’t think this is a good idea ever. USDA is — or should I say should be — responsible for all the damage it has already caused. Oriental fruit moth, drosophila, codling moth, you name it. It’s here now so why should the growers bear the burden? The USDA [is to blame] for allowing imports of goods to our beautiful country [which is] now full of Chinese bugs. How can we as growers compete with the Chinese government?”
— Tom, online reader comment

“I am more worried about all the chemicals and pollutants and pesticides used in China that are dangerous to humans. The same problems we’ve had with toys imported from there, being painted with lead and chemicals in the paint and slipping through inspections for who knows how long. I would not feel safe eating apples from China. Will they be clearly labeled as imported from China so I can avoid them? — Online reader comment

“So far as I know, there is no political quid pro quo for decisions on what products can be imported into the U.S. or exported to other countries, and scientific concerns about importation of pests are given serious consideration.

Nevertheless, the suggestion about trading apples for flip-flops [on AppleCrop] hints at some factors that may ultimately impact negotiator positioning. In this case, perhaps we should substitute ‘soybeans’ for flip-flops. Has anyone checked recently to see the value of soybeans and other ag exports from the U.S. to China?

And then of course, we wouldn’t want to anger China into massive selling of the U.S. securities that they have purchased over the past several decades while we spent our wealth on meaningless wars.
Thus, we are inextricably linked in a worldwide economy that at times runs roughshod over individual winners and losers. In many cases, it is almost impossible to predict who those winners and losers will be as governments tug on the economic and political strings that interconnect countries.
— David Rosenberger, Professor Emeritus, Department of Plant Pathology and Plant Microbe Biology, Cornell University

Comments Being Considered
Click here for full details of the proposal and the opportunity to comment. APHIS will consider all comments received on or before Sept. 16.

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