Port Everglades welcomes new USDA lab

Port Everglades welcomes new USDA lab    Florida's Port Everglades announced the opening Thursday of a new $200,000 U.S. Department of Agriculture pest identification lab.
   Inbound containerized cargoes are regularly inspected for pests. Quick identification is often necessary to determine whether a pest is harmless or requires eradication to prevent it from entering the United States.
   'By increasing the efficiencies of processing perishable products, such as fruits and vegetables, we are reducing the time in getting the product out to the market and the food to the tables of the population in South Florida,' said Phil Allen, Port Everglades director, in a statement.
   'At 900 square feet, this compact lab is nearly six times larger than the previous lab, and it consolidates Plant Protection and Quarantine's pest identification equipment and expansive insect collection in one location,' said Will James, USDA's area director.
   The lab follows last year's tarpless fumigation service at Port Everglades-based International Warehouse Services. The tarpless system was implemented to fumigate pests in a faster method that doesn't change the temperature of the container so that fruits and vegetables stay fresher and have a longer shelf life. For more details, read the February American Shipper, page 44.