China's apple invasion

This AP story, published in USA Today, talks about how U.S. apple growers are bracing for imports from China. The story notes that Chinese workers make 28 cents an hour, compared with $9t o $14 per hour in the U.S. The Chinese have been seeking access for their apples in the U.S. market since 1998, but significant hurdles remain.
From the story:

The U.S. Apple Association said the Department of Agriculture's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service sent a list of more than 300 insects and diseases of concern to the quarantine inspection agency of the Chinese government in 2003. The Chinese government responded the next year, and then the United States asked for information on 52 pests from the list.

TK: John Rice and Jim Allen are quoted in this story, and the context is the issue of country of origin labeling. If Chinese apples are allowed into the U.S., country of origin labeling becomes a bigger issue for U.S. apple growers. By that time, however, the issue of COOL will already be settled. Most think it will be some years before Chinese apples are allowed into the U.S., while final action on COOL should be in this year's farm bill. Beyond COOL, the story notes of the tree fruit industry's technology road map that seeks research funds to address issues such as mechanical picking machines. I recently had a Q and A with U.S. Apple Association's Jim Cranney on that issue that will be forthcoming.