Strawberries ruined by Customs holdup

Press, 16 January 1978, Page 2

Strawberries ruined by Customs holdup

From JOHN ROSS in Lon- er* of New Zealand don strawberries have com-

An American Customs regulation which holds up cargoes on through flights between New Zealand and Europe is one reason why several consignments of strawberries bound for the Christmas and New Year markets in Britain have been ruined. “It is an imposition we have been fighting for yean, but they still insist on It,” said an Air New Zealand spokesman in London.

plained that their shipments have suffered from wastage more than usual this winter, and one importer said he had lost 400 to 500 punnets of Canterbury strawberries because of airline hold ups.

He said that 36 hours was the maximum permissible freight time for the fruit to reach London in good condition. This year there had been delays of up to 48 hours, mostly aZ Sydney.

“Even a radioisotope needed urgently for a patient in an Auckland hospital can be held up at Los Angeles for 34 hours before it goes on to New Zealand,” he said. Several London import-

Another importer laid the blame for his ruined strawberries on delays at Los Angeles where, he said, they were often left on the tarmac awaiting a connecting flight.

The Air New Zealand spokesman said the American authorities would not allow goods to be left on the tarmac. But an irksome government regulation meant that all goods on through flights had to be available for inspection before proceeding to their destination. Fruit from New Zealand was put into a cold store at Los Angeles Airport to await a following flight, and that usually resulted in a delay of up to 24 hours. Most exporters were aware of the problem, and built the delays into their schedules. This was not possible with strawberries, however, which tended to ripen more quickly than other export fruit.