[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 175 (Tuesday, November 7, 1995)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E2119]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                  THIRD ANNUAL CALIFORNIA AVOCADO DAY

                                 ______


                     HON. RANDY ``DUKE'' CUNNINGHAM

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, November 7, 1995

  Mr. CUNNINGHAM. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of California Avocado 
Day and wish to share the significance of this special event with my 
colleagues. As some of you may know, November 7 marks the most 
important day of the year for avocado growers--California Avocado Day.
  For the third consecutive year, California Grower magazine has 
organized a full day of events devoted to the California avocado 
industry. The events will feature important panels and presentations, 
the California Avocado Commission's annual meeting, as well as the 
industry's largest trade show. ``The Road Ahead'' is this year's theme 
for California Avocado Day. In light of the recent events in the 
avocado industry, I believe the theme to be quite fitting. It is 
obvious that the avocado industry is at a crossroads, and the future 
for avocado growers is uncertain.
  I an honored that today's ceremonies are taking place within my 
district at the Escondido Center for the Arts. Two months ago, the U.S. 
Department of Agriculture [USDA] Animal Plant Health Inspection Service 
[APHIS] held hearings  at  the  same site to discuss the proposed rule 
to modify the 81-year-old quarantine on the importation of fresh 
Mexican Hass avocados. I joined with the thousands of members of the 
avocado industry to voice my concerns to any change in the United 
States policy with regard to Mexican Hass avocados that is not based on 
sound science.
  It is apparent that certain species of fruit flies and seed weevils 
are known to attack and destroy avocados. For years, Mexican avocado 
growers have been unable to eradicate pests from their crops despite 
the use of chemical methods unavailable in the United States. With the 
1994 avocado harvest in excess of 550 million pounds, I believe the 
proposal to allow Mexican Hass avocados into the United States would 
put the crop at risk. In fact, these insects could very well devastate 
U.S. avocado production, altogether.
  Mexico is currently requesting access to United States markets for 
fresh Hass avocados based on conclusions from a research study and pest 
survey data. However, I believe that the scientific data submitted by 
Mexico to support its request is weak, lacking integrity, and does not 
justify any change to the current quarantine policy. I am also 
concerned with the conclusions of the risk analysis performed by APHIS. 
The USDA must rely on a sufficient amount of credible, hard data before 
a change is to be made. Never before has the USDA been responsible in 
designing a system of this type or scale. Therefore, before such an 
undertaking is to occur, I believe that the science must be sound; the 
model used to estimate insect outbreak must be as accurate as possible; 
control mechanisms must be in place; and adequate resources must be 
available to allow for proper monitoring of the complex system.
  The USDA's proposed changes would allow for the importation of 
avocados into the 19 designated States in Northeastern United States. 
As one might guess, transshipment of the avocados is inevitable. 
However, I am not confident that APHIS has established a reliable 
control system to prevent the transport of avocados into States 
vulnerable to pest infestation, such as Florida and California. It is 
quite likely that the United States and Mexico avocados will come into 
contact with one another. If the pests are present in the Mexican 
avocados, you can be sure that the United States avocados will be 
susceptible to infestation. Therefore, I believe this poses a great 
threat to U.S. crop. The United States should deny, or at least 
postpone, the importation of Hass avocados until we are convinced that 
no threat is apparent. This issue is of critical importance to the 
future of our country's avocado crop.
  Again, I wish to congratulate the industry for joining me in sending 
a clear message to the Department of Agriculture regarding their views 
on the proposed rule. An overwhelming 1,800 public  comments were 
filed, with a majority of the comments in opposition to the proposed 
rule. Surely, the sentiments of such a united front cannot be ignored. 
I agree with the members of the avocado industry who are demanding that 
the avocado industry not be put in jeopardy as a result of such a 
dramatic policy change. The avocado growers' request that credible and 
sound science be employed with the decisionmaking process should be 
granted.

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