10/14/05 The first strike, Part one

10/14/05 The first strike, Part one

After spending much time getting Taiwan to once again accept U.S. apples into its nation, the news that came from Mike Willett and others at the Northwest Horticultural Council has put our apple industry on notice. WILLETT: The detection of coddling moth in a U.S. apple in Taiwan was confirmed early last week. And under the current protocol, the penalty structure is set up so that three detections of coddling moth larvae in Taiwan over a period of time constitutes a rational for market closure. So this is the first strike. And considering the kind of effort it has taken the U.S. to reopen Taiwan to our apples after closures stemming from coddling moth larvae concerns, Willett says the American apple industry plans to avoid that at all costs, especially with the stiff penalties already associated with a coddling moth or larvae detection. WILLETT: The grower can't ship any apples to Taiwan until the end of the season, which means basically the next twelve months. And the packer is suspended until Taiwan informs our government that they can be reinstated and basically we have never had a packing house reinstated sooner than four months from their suspension. Our next program features a look at some of the U.S. apple industry's additional concerns about the current Taiwanese coddling moth policies.
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