SAN DIEGO COUNTY - News from Aug. 28, 1995

Avocado Hearing: The controversy over the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s plan to allow fresh Mexican avocados into U.S supermarkets for the first time since 1914 is sure to heat up this week when the department holds open hearings Wednesday and Thursday at the California Center for the Arts in Escondido to gather public comment. The government is proposing to allow the sale of Mexican avocados in 19 Midwestern and Northeastern states from November through February, a plan opposed by the California avocado industry, which says it fears the risk of Mexican pests being introduced into U.S. orchards. The USDA says the plan includes “geographical” barriers that preclude infestation. U.S. consumer groups that favor the plan say growers are simply fearful of competing with Mexican growers. More than 1,000 of California’s 6,000 avocado growers are expected to attend the hearings to protest the plan, and many will parade Wednesday morning in front of the arts center with their farm vehicles. The hearings begin both mornings at 8:30 a.m. and last until 5 p.m. For more information, call the California Avocado Commission at (800) 707-7519.