The U.S. has lifted its ban on pome fruit imports from France that was in place for more than 10 years, following bilateral negotiations on phytosanitary controls. 

The announcement was made last week by the French Ministry of Agriculture, and the first shipment of apples has already set sail from the European country.

The U.S. ban on French pome fruit was originally put in place as the result of a detection of a leaf borer that is quarantined in the U.S.

In the summer of 2013, the Ministry of Agriculture began bilateral talks with U.S. authorities. Specific phytosanitary measure were put in place to scrutinize apple and pear exports, including pre-harvest and post-harvest checks, along with cold treatment for transit.

These provisions and a favorable audit from the U.S. Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) led to a bilateral protocol being signed in the summer 2014, reopening the U.S. market for French pome fruit exporters.

The French Agriculture Minster reportedly welcomed the first shipment of apples into the U.S., saying the North American country represented an important market for exporters.

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