05/10/06 Cherry Container Waiver

Cherry container waiver. I'm Greg Martin with today's Fruit Grower Report. Washington State Department of Agriculture Director Valora Loveland granted the Cherry industry a waiver on all container requirements. Jim Hazen, Executive Director of the Washington State Horticultural Association spearheaded the waiver. HAZEN: Well for a number of years now individual marketing companies within the Pacific Northwest Cherry Industry have requested waivers on their cherry containers. There are restrictions on cherry containers within the current rules and these waivers just give companies greater flexibility in meeting whether it be consumer demands or retail demands on cherry containers and marketing options. The waiver allows more flexibility for packers for the 2006 cherry season. HAZEN: And what we did to try and streamline it is we asked for an industry wide waiver. That way an individual company who wants to experiment or has a customer who is asking for a certain type of package that doesn't qualify under the rule can go ahead and market that package without seeking that individual waiver from the department. It really is a streamlined effort on behalf of the industry to make it easier for them to move cherries through the marketplace. That's today's Fruit Grower Report. Be sure and visit us on the web at www.aginfo.net. I'm Greg Martin on the Northwest Ag Information Network.