Florida growers, officials question USDA decision to OK Chinese citrus imports

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Florida’s citrus industry has struggled the past two decades from increased development of rural areas, changes in drinking habits and the infusion of lower-priced – often subsidized – citrus imports, primarily from Mexico.

Hurricane Irma exacerbated those issues, destroying or damaging $760 million in crops and 420,000 of Florida’s 569,000 acres of citrus groves.

Among Florida citrus growers’ most pervasive challenges, however, has been combating greening disease, or citrus huanglongbing (HLB), an unculturable phloem-limited bacteria that originated in China and was imported from Brazil.

On April 14, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, after a six-year lobbying effort by American producers against the proposal, authorized the importation of five types of citrus from China: pummelo, Nanfeng honey mandarin, ponkan, sweet orange and Satsuma mandarin.

Sunshine State citrus producers – which the state’s Department of Citrus (FDC) said employ 45,000 people, provide an economic impact of $8.6 billion and account for 57.7 percent of the nation’s domestic orange production – are not pleased.

Florida Citrus Mutual Vice President and CEO Mike Sparks called the import authorization “a double whammy” for state growers.

“The Florida citrus industry is already facing a devastating non-native disease called HLB that originated in China and has ravaged our groves over the past decade,” Sparks said in a statement. “So, the threat is real. We need to take another look at this decision. Add to the fact it will hurt growers by flooding domestic markets with Chinese citrus, and it really is a double whammy.”

State officials and Florida’s congressional delegation are mounting a campaign to reverse the plan.

Last week, Florida Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried called the importation of Chinese citrus “misguided” in a letter to USDA Secretary Sonny Perdue.

Fried said the timing of the decision, amid the COVID-19 pandemic, could exacerbate other issues facing Florida’s agriculture industry, such as “illegal seasonal dumping of Mexican produce in the U.S.”

“To kick our agriculture community while they are down, and when our domestic food supply depends on them more than ever, is just plain wrong,” Fried wrote.

Florida’s U.S. Sens. Marco Rubio and Rick Scott on Tuesday also sent Perdue a letter asking him to reverse the decision.

“In recent years, Florida’s citrus growers have suffered the impacts of hurricanes, unfairly priced imports, and from citrus greening, a disease which originated in China, and spread to the U.S. from imported citrus,” the Republican senators wrote. “Risking the introduction of invasive species and diseases into the U.S. is irresponsible, especially given our knowledge of how citrus greening previously entered our country by imported citrus and is spread by an invasive pest species.”

USDA scientists believe the five varieties can be imported safely if growers, packers and shippers use a “systems approach” to minimize pest risks.

Rubio and Scott challenge how effective the “systems approach” will be, citing the USDA’s April 15 Pest Risk Assessment (PRA) of a list of species “likely to enter the country” with the Chinese citrus.

“The PRA identifies 15 pest species of mites, fruit flies and moths and two pathogens, which could cause ‘unacceptable impacts’ if they enter the U.S. via imports of these Chinese citrus products,” Rubio and Scott wrote. “Risking the introduction of invasive species and diseases into the U.S. is irresponsible.”

The USDA and Florida “have invested hundreds of millions of dollars to research citrus greening and to slow its spread and find a cure,” they continued. “Allowing new imports from China further harms Florida’s citrus growers and risks undermining the progress that has been made through these investments. We respectfully urge you to reconsider this decision.”

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