The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) appealed the DC Federal District Court's resolution suspending the import of Chilean table grapes under the Systems Approach.
The filing opens a 90-day period during which the federal agency will present its arguments in defense of its 2024 decision to unlock the protocol for exporters in the Latin American country. The resolution was the result of over 20 years of negotiations between the United States and Chile.
FreshFruitPortal.com spoke to Rafael Rodríguez, president of the Chilean Commission for Table Grape Research and Development, Uvanova, who noted that the suspension is a major blow to the industry: "This is a lost year for us."
"We are hoping that the possibility [of importing under the Systems Approach] can be revived—for the people who were implementing and perfecting it," he said.
Rodríguez hopes that everything "returns to how it was before," but he rests assured in the quality of the Systems Approach, "as it is a very well thought-out and proposed protocol."
"It is being perfected, and Chile's foundations are very solid. We are not competition for the United States—we are complementary," he added.
Víctor Catán, president of the Federation of Chilean Fruit Producers (Fedefruta), told FreshFruitPortal.com that his organization hopes the appeal will turn out in favor of Chilean table grape producers.
The executive explains that if the final resolution includes a court injunction prohibiting further changes to the decision, Chile would be automatically authorized to import table grapes into the US under the Systems Approach.
However, Catán is also cautious, and notes it’s necessary to assess the details of the motion, as "the document is quite brief."
"We hope to gain knowledge of the components of the appeal and with that resolve whether it is worthwhile for Chile to go to court, or if it’s better to stick with the appeal made by the USDA-APHIS," he commented.
President of the Chilean sector brand Frutas de Chile, Iván Marambio, told FreshFruitPortal.com that his organization values the USDA’s legal action, which, in his opinion, highlights the protocol’s character as a strictly technical instrument, supported by scientific evidence.
Along with a successful appeals process, Marambio emphasized the importance of a court injunction prohibiting any further changes to the original USDA decision. “That is what we need,” he said.
Since the DC court decision suspending the protocol for Chilean exporters at the end of September, Frutas de Chile has been working closely with multiple US stakeholders to pursue a successful appeal to resume imports under the Systems Approach. The protocol, Marambio says, has a giant impact on economic activity and regional employment.
"As Frutas de Chile, we will continue to coordinate and assess the next steps with all involved actors, with the aim of safeguarding the continuity of the protocol and hopefully, the coming seasons will be normal," he concluded.
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