Argentina Citrus Plan Assailed

California growers showed up in force Monday to assail a plan to allow Argentina to export citrus to the United States, arguing that the proposal could introduce a host of crop-destroying pests and diseases to the nation’s $2.5-billion citrus industry.

Wearing green-and-white buttons that read “Where’s the Science?” and “Practice Safe Citrus!” more than 700 growers, farm workers and elected officials packed the Thousand Oaks Civics Arts Plaza for a public hearing on the U.S. Department of Agriculture proposal.

Although Argentina has long sought to break into the U.S. market and expanded efforts to ensure that growing regions are disease- and pest-free, U.S. growers contend that there is not yet enough scientific evidence to prove that the export plan would pose no harm to domestic crops.

“We question why [the department] feels compelled to take a chance on this, especially given the lack of empirical science backing up the proposal,” testified Ventura County grower Pierre Y. Tada, a leader in the effort to force the federal government to withdraw the proposal until more studies can be done.

“We fear that this proposal will become the unintended vehicle for an exotic bug and disease shuttle from South America,” he added. “This case could be a watershed that could potentially threaten every other commodity grown in the United States and threaten our position as a global leader in agriculture.”

The public hearing took place despite pleas by lawmakers for a delay to allow growers time to recover from last month’s freeze, which inflicted $657 million in damage to California’s citrus crop.

Lawmakers also contended that a delay would allow for the collection of more scientific data on the proposal, especially because any potential infestation in the imports wouldn’t be evident until April or May.

“Based on the high risks posed by the new rule, I believe the department should grant additional time for an independent, scientific analysis of citrus production areas in Argentina,” Rep. Elton Gallegly (R-Simi Valley) told the USDA panel overseeing the hearing.

The hearing was the second of two public meetings on the proposal. USDA officials said there is no timetable for making a decision, although it is certain to take several weeks, if not months, to review all of the comments from the hearings.

The Argentines have been down this road before. They first proposed exporting lemons, oranges and grapefruit to the United States in 1991 and have been working on a plan to eradicate pests and disease.

Officials from that country testified Monday that they have taken appropriate measures, including chemical treatments and refrigeration, to ensure that their citrus would be free of fruit flies and crop-ravaging diseases such as the black spot, sweet orange scab and citrus canker.

The Argentines “guarantee to the citrus growers of the United States that their groves will not be affected by new pests,” said Lourdes Fonalleras, director of Argentina’s ministry of health and food quality.

But that guarantee didn’t play too well to those gathered Monday to oppose the proposal. In a mobilization by growers organizations, farmers and their supporters packed the hearing room, cheering speakers who represented their viewpoint and waving placards that read “No Fruit Flies and Disease Please,” and “First the Freeze and Now Disease.”

But the most dramatic testimony was from growers themselves, those who contend that their very livelihood is at stake.

“We want to stop them until they can come up with some more sound science for what it is they are trying to do,” said Central Valley grower Rod Radtke. “And I don’t mean anybody’s hunches or best guesses or good intentions. The problem with good intentions is that we are forced to live with the impact regardless of how they intended everything to work out.”