Inspections Critical for Viability of Washington Ag

Washington producers work with the Washington State Department of Agriculture’s inspectors before the crops are shipped off across the U.S. and world.

WSDA’s Mike Louisell said there are 200 inspectors working with warehouses examining fruit, potatoes, onions and many more crops.

“They’re inspecting those commodities, a certain percentage of them, to help insure quality in our domestic and our export markets.”

Inspections are done for grading, and looking for any sort of defects such as blemishes, off color, and even decay.

Louisell said the inspections are mandatory, but welcomed by producers to show that they meet phytosanitary requirements.

“We need to ensure that our export markets are receiving very high quality fruits and vegetables grown in Washington State so that we can maintain and even grow our market overseas. Whether it’s Asia or Europe or South America what have you.”

Louisell noted these inspections are also good for consumer confidence who know they are getting a product that is of high quality and safe.

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