USTR CONTESTS JAPANESE RESTRICTIONS ON APPLE IMPORTS FROM U.S.

USTR CONTESTS JAPANESE RESTRICTIONS ON APPLE IMPORTS FROM U.S.    The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative requests comments from the industry in preparation for a World Trade Organization consultation regarding Japanese restrictions for imported U.S. apples.
   Japan imposed the quarantine rules on U.S. apples imports to protect against the introduction of fire blight. These restrictions include a ban on apples from U.S. orchards in which any fire blight is detected and three annual inspections of the orchards following detection of the disease. Exported apples must also undergo chlorine washes. “None of these restrictions is supported by scientific evidence,” the USTR said.
   The USTR also said Japan’s measures are inconsistent with the 1994 General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade’s Agreement on the Application of Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures and Agreement on Agriculture.
   Comments are due to the USTR no later than April 30. For more information, contact Juan A. Millan, assistant general counsel for the USTR, at (202) 395-3581.