“Table stock access to Japan was first requested almost 30 years ago,” says the Congressional letter. “It was elevated to a top priority in U.S.-Japan plant health negotiations in September 2019. However, despite the efforts of USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, Japan continues to delay substantive negotiations on table stock access, including with respect to our most recent request for Japan to provide a Pest Risk Assessment (PRA).”
The letter adds, “We strongly urge you to elevate this issue with your counterparts in Japan with the goal of receiving a PRA before the upcoming bilateral negotiation this Fall 2023. We believe that a resolution is only possible with strong political support in the United States.”
“Japan already conducted a thorough review of U.S. fresh potatoes in 2006 when the market was opened for U.S. potatoes for processing,” the letter continues. “During this review, the U.S. potato industry addressed all Japanese technical concerns with comprehensive mitigations. There is no valid phytosanitary justification for the market to remain closed or for the government’s current refusal to negotiate.”
“Table stock access to Japan was first requested almost 30 years ago,” says the Congressional letter. “It was elevated to a top priority in U.S.-Japan plant health negotiations in September 2019. However, despite the efforts of USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, Japan continues to delay substantive negotiations on table stock access, including with respect to our most recent request for Japan to provide a Pest Risk Assessment (PRA).”
The letter adds, “We strongly urge you to elevate this issue with your counterparts in Japan with the goal of receiving a PRA before the upcoming bilateral negotiation this Fall 2023. We believe that a resolution is only possible with strong political support in the United States.”
“Japan already conducted a thorough review of U.S. fresh potatoes in 2006 when the market was opened for U.S. potatoes for processing,” the letter continues. “During this review, the U.S. potato industry addressed all Japanese technical concerns with comprehensive mitigations. There is no valid phytosanitary justification for the market to remain closed or for the government’s current refusal to negotiate.”
Richard Smoley, contributing editor for Blue Book Services, Inc., has more than 40 years of experience in magazine writing and editing, and is the former managing editor of California Farmer magazine. A graduate of Harvard and Oxford universities, he has published 12 books.