More On Trade Letter

Washington Senator Maria Cantwell and Idaho Senator Mike Crapo have been working on a problem area for northwest tree fruit growers. Crapo says different standards on regulations in Europe have created unfair disadvantages for apples and pears. He and Cantwell have sent a letter to the U.S. Trade Representative.

CRAPO: These fruit exports should not be subject to such unreasonably and inappropriate high standards that really are not protecting food safety or anything else they are simply functioning as trade barriers to our ability to send out fresh fruit in to the European Union markets.

There as been a 73% decrease in these exports over the past 5 years.

CRAPO: Frankly this is just a very typical example of how in this case a number of nations, the European Union, can utilize a sanitary and phytosanitary standards - the standards by which we try to keep our food safe and free from harmful pesticides or other dangers. They're using those standards not to protect the food but to erect barriers against very healthy and safe food being effectively transported into their countries.

They hope to see some movement on this in the TTIP talks this week.

CRAPO: This is one of those situations on which we have very solid ground scientifically and as far as health sanitary and phytosanitary standards go.

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