Clearly as retaliation for inaction on the part of Canada with regarding to establishing some type of trust protection from bankruptcy for all fresh produce shipped into the country, the U.S. Department of Agriculture has revoked the specialized treatment Canadian shippers have received under the Perishable Agricultural Commodities Act for decades.
In a letter dated Oct. 1, 2014, and obtained by The Produce News, Charles W. Parrott, deputy administrator of the USDA Fruit & Vegetable Program, informed Canadian officials that because the country does not have a “dispute resolution system comparable to the U.S. system,” as of that date Canadian shippers will now be treated like every other foreign shipper utilizing the PACA’s reparation services.
