Northwest Horticultural Council

Foreign Trade Priorities

2024

The NHC will:

All Commodities

1. Advocate for the removal of U.S. Section 232 (steel and aluminum) and U.S. Section 301 retaliatory tariffs.
2. Respond to export market maintenance issues as they develop.
3. Continue efforts in support of lowering barriers to trade in all countries through bilateral and multilateral negotiations.
4. Continue efforts to ensure that countries follow sound science and international protocol when establishing technical standards, such as for pesticide maximum residue levels and testing protocols for food-borne pathogens.
5. Work on foreign consumer food safety situations involving our industry’s products.
6. Track and influence evolving international food safety standards, such as grower GAPs and traceability.
7. Assist in managing food safety visits by foreign regulatory officials.
8. Promote efforts towards developing a range of postharvest quarantine treatments as alternatives to existing options.
9. Work to ensure Congressional support for export programs that benefit our industry such as the Market Access Program (MAP) and the Technical Assistance for Specialty Crops (TASC) Program.
10. Work to preserve IC-DISC (Interest Charge Domestic International Sales Corporation) federal tax program for exporters.
11. Work to improve customs valuation procedures when they arise.
12. Act as our industry’s main source of information on technical export issues through such means as providing an export manual and country updates on the Internet.
13. Project the views of the industry when requested by media for information on trade matters affecting tree-fruit growers and shippers in Idaho, Oregon, and Washington.
14. Support the Pear Bureau Northwest, Washington Apple Commission, and Washington State Fruit Commission with any necessary crisis communication.
15. Seek effective regulatory pest control programs and policies at the county, region, state and federal levels.
16. Represent the Northwest tree-fruit industry on international trade issues by participating in the following committees and organizations: Canadian Produce Marketing Association’s North American Trade Task Force, Codex Committee on Pesticide Residues (CCPR), Crop Protection Coalition (methyl bromide), Coalition to Promote United States Agricultural Exports, Inter-Regional Project 4 (IR-4), Minor Crop Farmer Alliance, North American Plant Protection Organization, Pesticide Policy Coalition, United States Agricultural Export Development Council, USDA & USTR Agricultural Technical Advisory Committee for Trade (ATAC) in Fruits and Vegetables, Washington Council on International Trade,  and World Apple and Pear Association (WAPA).

Apples

1. Work to improve access to Japan.
2. Work to obtain access to Australia.
3. Improve access to India by seeking to reduce the tariff rate.
4. Seek to minimize disruptions to trade with Indonesia, such as those resulting from Indonesia’s implementation of restrictions on importing horticultural products.
5. Work to reduce the tariff rate in Egypt.
6. Work to remove temperate fruit flies as pests of concern to Indonesia.
7. Work to avoid pesticide residue trade barriers with Thailand.
8. Work to obtain access to Korea.
9. Work to improve access to the People’s Republic of China.
10. Monitor attempts by foreign countries to gain or liberalize access to the United States market for apples and work with the U.S. Apple Association to ensure all foreign pest and disease issues are addressed by USDA/APHIS/PPQ prior to any new entry.
11. Coordinate with the United States Apple Export Council on foreign trade issues of mutual interest.

Pears

1. Work to obtain access to Australia.
2. Work to remove temperate fruit flies as pests of concern to Indonesia.
3. Work to avoid pesticide residue trade barriers with Thailand
4. Work to reduce tariff levels in India.
5. Work to reduce tariff levels in Thailand.
6. Monitor attempts by foreign countries to gain or liberalize access to the United States market for pears and work to ensure all foreign pest and disease issues are addressed by USDA/APHIS prior to any new entry.
7. Work to obtain access to Korea.
8. Work to obtain access to Cuba for pears grown in Oregon.

Sweet Cherries

1. Work to avoid pesticide residue and phytosanitary trade barriers, especially with Australia, South Korea, Taiwan, the People’s Republic of China, Thailand, and Vietnam.
2. Work to eliminate or modify Australia’s designation of powdery mildew as a pest of quarantine concern.
3. Work to obtain a systems approach protocol for Korea.
4. Monitor attempts by foreign countries to gain or liberalize access to the United States market for sweet cherries and work to ensure all foreign pest and disease issues are addressed by USDA/APHIS prior to any new entry.
5. Work to maintain methyl bromide as a legal postharvest quarantine treatment.
6. Work to remove temperate fruit flies as pests of concern to Indonesia.
7. Work to obtain access to Israel.

Canned Pears & Processed Cherries

1. Advocate import sensitive status for the industry in United States trade agreements and the United States Generalized System of Preferences program.