10/17/05 The first strike, Part two

The news that a coddling moth larvae was found in a shipment of Washington State apples to Taiwan has heightened the alert to our growers and shippers. It is the first strike in a three strike program agreed upon by Taiwan and the U.S. that allowed our apples back into that market earlier this year. And under that agreement, the penalties are strict. But Mike Willett of the Northwest Horticultural Council says it is more than the penalties that are strict. WILLETT: One of the challenges we have is a three strikes program is not based on any real science of risk estimation. It's merely three larvae. When we are conducting an inspection program and you have very low levels of larvae, we are concerned that once in a while, there's going to be one that slips through. Apple officials continue to negotiate with the Taiwanese government on a more relaxed shipping and coddling moth protection protocol. In the mean time, U.S. apple industry types are sounding the alert for growers and shippers to be extra careful. That is especially true as this year's crop of our most popular variety is soon to hit the Taiwanese market. WILLETT: It's huge when Fuji's represent a big part of what we sell to Taiwan. We encouraged every body at the beginning of the season to inspect this fruit in a way that will help us guarantee that we can minimize if not eliminate any arrival of coddling moth in Taiwan and we hope people are more acutely aware of the need to do that after this first strike.