Legislation to help New York apple growers carry out their work more efficiently and reduce costs has been introduced by US Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, a member of the Senate Agriculture Committee. The bill has been endorsed by the New York Apple Association and U.S. Apple Association, according to Fresh Plaza.com.
The legislation would exempt bulk shipments of US grown apples to Canada from inspections that are currently required by the Apple Export Act. It is thought that it will straight away save growers in the region of USD$300 per truckload of apples, allow them to create their own distribution schedules and eliminate many costly hours of inspection.
Senator Gillibrand was quoted saying the bill would ease burdensome regulations and allow our apple producers to streamline operations, cut costs and continue to grow their businesses.
Last year, over 1.5 million bushels of New York apples were exported to Canada in 1,500 truckloads. This means the new legislation would save growers somewhere around $450,000 annually.
This would also encourage export to other destinations as man hours for Canadian exports would be freed up to focus on other countries inspection requirements.
New York is the second highest producer of apples, behind Washington State. In 2010, New York produced 1.26 billion pounds of apples, generating approximately $227 million in revenue. Currently, the Department of Agriculture requires the inspection of all apple exports under the Apple and Pear Export Act of 1933. In 1999, the law was changed to exclude pears. A similar version of the bill was introduced in the House last month by Congressman Bill Owens.
Source: FreshPlaza.com
