Washington State Strawberry Commission to Dissolve

According to reports from The Seattle Times, the Washington State Strawberry Commission will soon cease to function. This is following the failure of an accountability report from the Washington State Auditor.

Advertisement

“The Washington State Strawberry Commission did not have adequate internal controls over cash receipts and expenditures, putting public funds at greater risk of loss, waste and abuse,” an Oct. 4 audit report concluded, according to The Times.

The Times reports the commission’s only employee kept all records at home, which the employee could not provide. Growers have petitioned for disbanding the commission earlier this year, citing a lack of interest in the commission and decline in strawberry harvests. The commission stopped operations June 30 and will formally dissolve on Dec. 31.

Hector Castro, a spokesman for the Washington State Department of Agriculture, as quoted by The Times, says there is no indication the strawberry commissions’ funds were misappropriated and other commissions are operating effectively.

Top Articles
Have a Plan For Climate Change? Why Fruit Growers Need To Act Now

0