U.S. citrus exports to Europe are expected to increase following a change in citrus canker safeguard rules.
U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue and Acting U.S. Trade Representative Stephen Vaughn on May 3 said the European Union has dropped requirement that U.S. groves be surveyed for citrus canker. That, according to a news release, will make it easier to ship U.S. citrus to the EU and save growers production costs. The new EU directive requires countries where citrus canker has been detected to have a disease management program and to ensure that exported fruit have no symptoms, according to the release. Because grove surveys for citrus canker will no longer be required, the USDA said that U.S. producers can save an estimated $5.6 million dollars per year, according to the release.