Chinese Inspectors Visit
Four Major Citrus-Producing States
A delegation of Chinese
agricultural inspectors arrived in the United States in
mid-January and spent two weeks touring citrus-producing
areas in Arizona, California, Florida, and Texas. During
the visit, Chinese agricultural inspectors reviewed U.S.
pest mitigation measures and general conditions at groves
and packing houses. Upon completion of the inspection
visit, China will review the data and inform the United
States when shipments can begin. China's 1.3 billion
people represent a huge potential market for U.S. citrus.
Australia Decreases
Quarantine Boundary Requirements for Mediterranean Fruit
Fly
The Australia quarantine
zone around future Medfly outbreaks in the United States
will be reduced from 80 kilometers (50 miles) to 15
kilometers (9.3 miles). This clears the way for
Australian acceptance of U.S. citrus grown closer to the
site of a Medfly outbreak than previously permitted.
Australia's new policy will greatly reduce the number of
U.S. citrus growers affected by a Medfly outbreak than
under the previous policy. However, APHIS will continue
to support an even greater reduction of Australia's
Medfly quarantine zone based on research data on the
travel patterns of the invasive pest that supports a
quarantine zone of 7.2 kilometers (4.5 miles). Australia
has not proposed a change in the size of the quarantine
areas for other exotic fruit flies.
Codex Committee on Sugars
Scheduled to Meet in February
The Seventh Session of the
Codex Committee on Sugars is scheduled to meet in London
on February 9-11, 2000. On the agenda are proposed
amendments to the Revised Codex Standard for Sugars and
further work on the Draft Revised Standard for Honey.
Copies of the working documents and other information
regarding this session can be obtained by accessing the
following URL: http://www.fao.org/es/esn/codex
Dominican Republic (DR)
to Implement Spanish Labeling Requirement
Although the Spanish
labeling requirement for food products originally was
published in 1981, DR authorities from the Ministry of
Industry and Commerce report they will begin enforcement
in January 2000. U.S. exports account for up to forty
percent of consumer-ready products in supermarkets in the
DR.
Mexico to Enforce
Labeling Regulations
The Mexican Government
published a list of organizations that can verify product
compliance with the regulations described in
NOM-0510SCFI-1994, "General Labeling Specifications
for Pre-Packed Foods and Non-Alcoholic Beverages",
published in the Mexican Official Gazette on January 24,
1996. U.S. firms producing processed foods and
nutritional supplements should be particularly attentive
to these requirements. The above mentioned list can be
obtained upon request from HTP. Mexico also has proposed
checking on net contents of selected prepackaged goods.
The U.S. government has registered its concerns over the
proposed sampling methodology which is contradictory to
the "average net weight" concept used
throughout the world.
Taiwan Lifts Medfly
Quarantine Areas in California, but Introduces New Mexfly
Requirements
Effective January 21, Taiwan
will remove the medfly import ban on fruit from Orange
County and the Lake Elsinore area of Riverside County in
California. However, phytosanitary certificates for fresh
fruit such as apples, pears, citrus, and peaches from San
Diego County and San Bernardino County will require two
declarations: 1) "The fruit is neither from nor
passing through an area where Anastrepha ludens, Mexfly,
is know to occur" and, 2) "These products have
been inspected and found free of mexfly or have been
treated with an appropriate treatment prior to
shipment."
