Protecting Fruit Shipments

Protecting Fruit Shipments. I’m Greg Martin with today’s Fruit Grower Report.

Up until the tragedy of Sept. 11, air travel was not a problem for both passengers and freight but in the aftermath, things have of course gotten much more difficult. For you and I these new rules and regulations are an inconvenience but for NW fruit growers, that can be downright disastrous.

HASTINGS: The problem with these all encompassing rules is they have unintended consequences and the unintended consequence in this particular case is that when you ship perishable products it becomes a burden trying to screen that before it gets to the deportation area.

That’s Washington Congressman Doc Hastings who says they are trying to work together on this issue.

HASTINGS: It’s a 100% requirement and we want to work with TSA to try to find some way to work around this so that burden – you know maybe in the long run will not make us competitive in the world market. Those are the things you have to take into consideration.

Hastings along with Representatives Cathy McMorris Rodgers and Greg Walden have drafted a letter asking the Transportation Security Administration to consider perishable products when implementing their Certified Cargo Screening Program.

HASTINGS: I’m concerned when we have a slowing economy that anything we do to slow down our export markets whether it’s perishable fruit or for that matter anything else, we need to look at that very closely.

More tomorrow.

That’s today’s Fruit Grower Report. I’m Greg Martin on the Northwest Ag Information Network.