Unfair Trade for Apples and Pears

UnFair Trade for Apples & Pears. I'm Greg Martin with today's Fruit Grower Report.

The second round of on-going trade talks between the U.S. and the European Union are set to begin on November 11 in Brussels, Belgium. But there is an issue that is causing some problems with certain products. It's an issue that Senator Maria Cantwell from Washington and Senator Mike Crapo for Idaho are championing. They are leading a bipartisan letter urging the administration to prioritize reducing trade barriers pear and apple growers face in European markets. Cantwell and Crapo along with seven of their colleagues including Oregon's Ron Wyden and Washington's Patty Murray sent a letter to Ambassador Michael Froman, the United States Trade Representative, calling for talks on the TTIP to work to improve the terms of access for U.S. apple and pear exports to Europe. In the letter, the senators note that different standards on regulations in Europe have unfairly disadvantaged U.S. agriculture produce like apples and pears. The senators noted trade data shows that apple exports to the European Union dropped 73% from the crop in 2006 to 2012. They also noted that pear exports to the same region have dropped 73% from 2009 to 2012, in total the drop adds up to $33 million per-year in lost export revenues. 

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