NPPC Wants Lemon Ban Stripped

September 1, 2000

National Pork Producers Council President Craig Jarolimek wants House and Senate conferees to the agricultural appropriations bill to strip out a "blatantly protectionist" measure that would block Argentine lemons from being exported to the United States.

"Allowing politics to override six years of exhaustive scientific study by USDA makes a mockery of U.S. efforts to break down arbitrary trade barriers erected against American producers and will jeopardize the chances for approval of U.S. pork exports to Argentina," Jarolimek said. The Argentine market for pork is estimated at 30,000 metric tons a year, or about $65 million.

The amendment was added to the agricultural appropriations bill July 20 by Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-CA). It would prevent the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) from implementing regulations on the importation of Argentine lemons that have already been issued.

On Aug. 25, NPPC and 26 other organizations sent a letter to the agriculture appropriations bill conferees urging that the amendment be rejected. The letter points out that the provision would undermine U.S. efforts to ensure that sanitary and phytosanitary measures maintained by foreign governments are based on science and would send the signal that the United States is unwilling to abide by sound science in matters of international trade.

The letter also describes exhaustive safeguards made part of the final rule to ensure protection of U.S. citrus trees. Under the rules, a single piece of diseased fruit will exclude an orchard from exporting to the U.S. for an entire growing season. Further, Argentine citrus will not be allowed into citrus growing states until 2004.

Jarolimek pointed out that California stonefruit and Florida citrus, in addition to pork, are currently being considered for import by Argentina. "If we use the political process to undermine science in this case, it would not be unreasonable to expect Argentina to delay indefinitely the approval process on pork and other American agricultural products," Jarolimek said.