1 / 28

USApple Washington Update

Mark Seetin, Director of Regulatory and Industry Affairs U.S. Apple Association January 20, 2014. USApple Washington Update. Wisconsin Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Conference. USApple Mission. To advocate for American apple growers and their industry partners on national issues to …

maree
Download Presentation

USApple Washington Update

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript

  1. Mark Seetin, Director of Regulatory and Industry Affairs U.S. Apple Association January 20, 2014 USApple Washington Update Wisconsin Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Conference

  2. USApple Mission To advocate for American apple growers and their industry partners on national issues to … Promote the profitable production and marketing of apples and apple products.

  3. “Apple Brand” in Washington, DC Delivering a Strong Pro-Apple Message to: House and Senate Federal Agencies USDA, EPA, FDA, DOL, DHS Coalitions Labor, Trade, Pesticide Issues, Minor Crop Farmers Alliance (MCFA), Specialty Crop Farm Bill Alliance (SCFBA) Partner Associations United Fresh, NCAE, American Farm Bureau

  4. Our Work For Growers Doesn’t Stop at the Orchard • What would happen to your business if - • You could not obtain the labor force you need? • You lost access to a quarter of the market? • Costly and cumbersome new rules and regulations ate up your profits? • Activist groups convinced the public that apples are unsafe and unhealthy?

  5. USAppleServing our Members • Legislative & Regulatory • Education Program • Media Tours, Consumer Promotions • Crisis Communication • Dirty Dozen, Dr. Oz • Membership Programs • Apple Bites, Apple News, Website • Young Leader Program Déjà Vu All Over Again?

  6. USApple: Working For You • Legislative & Regulatory Priorities • Immigration Reform • Farm Bill • Import/Export Issues • Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) • Crop Insurance Déjà Vu All Over Again?

  7. Immigration ReformWhat We’ve Done • Founding Member of the Agricultural Workforce Coalition (AWC) • Senate Immigration Bill • Bi-partisan • Negotiated by USApple/AWC with UFW • Provides incentives to stay in agriculture • Creates new guestworker program • Agreement held – no amendments

  8. Immigration ReformWhat’s Next? • Attention focused on the House • Politics Very Different than Senate • Several bills through Judiciary Committee • Piecemeal approach • Timing uncertain – complicated by elections

  9. Immigration ReformWhat’s Next? • House agriculture bill = guestworker only • Current workforce left out • USApple & AWC seeking improvements • Working with Chairman Goodlatte & others • Partisan – hard to get to “yes” • Committee vs. full House

  10. What’s Plan B? • H-2A…… insurance if reform fails • Bureaucratic and expensive – but legal • Used by large &small growers • New England – 5 or 10 workers, WA - 500 • Used to be known as “apple program” • Need housing, a good advisor and patience

  11. Farm Bill • Conferees are meeting • Both Senate and House bills maintain or even increase • MAP & TASC • Specialty Crop Block Grants • Specialty Crop Research Initiative • Fresh Fruit & Vegetable Snack Program • Pest & Disease & Clean Plant Network

  12. Building a consensus on the Farm Bill in Washington today is a real challenge

  13. Farm Bill • Divisions Remain – • Nutrition cuts/reform • Commodity reforms/regional balance • Four Principals/Leaders Support • Looming Deadline – Dairy provisions

  14. Dairy provisions have been a stumbling block in the Farm Bill

  15. China • Request for Access Dates to 1990s • Phytosanitary (pest and disease) technical process • Tree Fruit Technical Advisory Committee (TreeTAC) formed to review science • Technical experts from MSU,WSU, Cornell • November 2010 –Pest List Complete • USApplemonitors/reports

  16. China – Next Steps • China is now major U.S. export market • Growth potential • WA apples that go to China don’t go to Chicago, NYC, etc • Federal Register Notice- Likely Spring • Another comment period • Process could be complete in late 2014 • USApple & TreeTAC monitoring closely • Scientific process (pests and diseases) must be followed • Trade must go both ways

  17. Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) • Prevention is priority • FDA establishes mandatory produce standard • USApple believes it must be based on actual - not potential - risk. • FDA wants to regulate practices, not products • Water quality, hygiene, soil amendments, animals • USApple submitted comments to FDA about apple production to avoid over-regulation, and higher costs – there are no documented food borne disease incidents from fresh spples • FDA to revise and reissue rules early summer 2014 “One size doesn’t fit all.”

  18. USApple & Pesticide Regulations • Work with EPA to retain current products • Support introduction of new pesticides • Growers need large toolbox to manage pests • Seek to maximize available products • Resistance management, new pest/disease pressure, more narrow spectrum

  19. USDA ResearchApple Rootstock Breeding • USApple works to secure funding • New varieties carry critical traits • Pest/disease resistance, increased productivity • Stress tolerance, adaptation to local growing conditions • New variety releases: Demand exceeds supply • Continued funding is critical for timely commercial distribution to growers

  20. Apple ResearchSpecialty Crop Research Initiative “SCRI” USApple succeeded in getting SCRI in the 2008 Farm Bill Developing new IPM practices Creating new apple cultivars with consumer-preferred traits using genomics/genetics Improving orchard safety and efficiency with engineering/automation technologies $5.7 million grant to combatBMSB (stink bug)

  21. Arsenic in Apple Juice • Arsenic -- Dr. Oz & Consumers Union • Arsenic detected in apple juice, CU insists • standard must be lower to • protect kids • FDA proposes to reduce the current 24 ppb standard to 10 ppb • In November, 2013, USApple joined with the Juice Products Association (JPA) to challenge FDA’s methodology used to reduce the standard

  22. Brown Marmorated Stink Bug (BMSB)

  23. The BMSB attacks many crops: Apples, corn, soybeans, peaches, pears, watermelons, cantaloupe, tomatoes, peppers, blueberries, raspberries, blackberries, wine grapes and more. . . The BMSB can feed on over 300 crops

  24. The BMSB causes damage right up until harvest Feeding by nymphs is hard to detect for days – just when apples are going into storage In 2010, Mid – Atlantic storage facilities experienced losses of up to 40% in apples coming out of cold storage

  25. 2013 SCRI Research Results BMSB • Progress on identifying native predators • a parasitic wasp from China under study for potential release in the U.S. USDA will start the process to release the wasp ib early 2014 • Identifying and replicating the pheromone to allow more accurate detection of BMSB movement completed in 2013 • Researchers are a step closer to development of an “attract and kill” control program

  26. “When decisions are made, USApple is there speaking up for the apple industry.” USApple: Protecting and Promoting Your Business

  27. Brown Marmorated Stink BugSummary Thank You! Widely adaptable invasive species that has spread to 35 states Feeds on 300 crops and can do both preharvest and postharvest damage Research continues on control methodology

  28. U.S. Apple Association 8233 Old Courthouse Rd Alexandria, VA 22182 (703) 442-8850 mseetin@usapple.org

More Related