08/21/06 New Japanese Standards

New Japanese standards raise questions for exporters I'm Greg Martin with today's Line On Agriculture. Pacific Northwest food processors and the Oregon Department of Agriculture are working on a new program to help get products exported to Japan. A complex set of regulations issued recently by the Japanese government could potentially make it more difficult to export food and agricultural products because of standards on chemical residues. With Japan the number one ag export market for Oregon, that`s cause for concern, according to Katy Coba, director of the Oregon Department of Agriculture. COBA: There`s a lot of nervousness amongst processors and producers about the potential now for sending product over, having it be tested, and rejected. ODA and the Northwest Food Processors Association are proactively trying to develop something that will help local and regional companies. COBA: Another kind of a voluntary certification program, a tool available to processors, if they wanted to take advantage of it, whereby ODA`s Export Services Center would pre-certify these products to meet the Japanese standards, then move right through the process. ODA`s Export Service Program can test for a number of agricultural chemicals and was, in fact, the first U.S. lab to have pre-certification ability to test products to meet Japan`s strict standards for food. If products can be tested over here first, they might avoid potential snags over there later. A proposal from ODA could be brought forward to the Japanese government as early as this fall. Coba says Oregon may have an advantage given its history of working effectively with the Japanese government for a number of years. COBA: We were the first lab in the United States to have the pre-certification ability to test products that meet the Japanese government standards. They know us. They are familiar with us. I definitely think having that relationship will help as we try to develop a new program to meet these new maximum residue levels. Coba says a proposed certification program for products destined for Japan would meet many needs. COBA: The need to be able to get our products in their market and not have them rejected and not have our companies on some sort of Japanese black list that wouldn`t allow them to continue to send our high quality products into that market. That's today's Line On Agriculture. I'm Greg Martin on the Northwest Ag Information Network.