Action and Reaction to Pesticide Levels

Action and Reaction to Pesticide Levels. I’m Greg Martin with today’s Fruit Grower Report.

It would be an almost perfect world if we could grow some great fruit, box it up and ship it everywhere in the world. But according to Mike Willett, Vice President for Scientific Affairs for the NW Hort Council that scenario is flawed.

WILLETT: Over the past 4 or 5 years the issue of pesticide residues on foods exported to other markets has become a much bigger part of the export considerations and for certain markets the ability to meet those residue requirements really have been the difference between being able to sell fruit into the market and to not be able to do that.

The issue is the maximum residue levels of pesticides or MRLs’ and at what level countries being exported to will say no.

WILLETT: The most important of the markets where we have the greatest concerns with pesticide residue issues are Japan, the European Union and all the countries of the European Union and then more recently beginning last January, Taiwan.

Of course when you start talking about pesticide levels that sure perks up peoples ears and makes some people very nervous.

WILLETT: The issue is not that the crop protection products that growers use are putting anybody at risk because the system that is used in this country to determine that is much more rigorous now than it ever has been. The difference is that in other countries, the countries may or may not use the same products because in many cases they don’t grow the same crops that we grow and so therefore they just don’t have a system that allows their growers or anybody else to use these products.

More tomorrow.

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