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Seed potatoes now part of DRC

August 25, 2008  By Marg Land


NEWS HIGHLIGHT

Seed potatoes now part of DRC

The Dispute Resolution Corporation (DRC) can now handle disputes involving seed potatoes.

August 25, 2008 – The Dispute Resolution Corporation (DRC) can now handle disputes involving seed potatoes.

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potatoesThe by-law change, approved by members at the organization’s 2008 annual meeting, became effective with the recently approval of the federal government. This move further harmonizes the DRC rules with those of the Perishable Agricultural Commodities Act (PACA), which handles complaints regarding seed potatoes up to the point they are planted.

“This change will enhance the coverage we provide to our current members and it will provide us a basis for attracting new members,” said DRC president Stephen Whitney. “Quite a few of our members as well as the Potato Committee executive and the Seed Potato Committee of the Canadian Horticultural Council, which represents seed potato growers from across Canada have been asking us for some time to include seed under the DRC.”

“One of the reasons it took some time for the DRC to make a decision is directly related to the nature of the complaints that can occur with seed,” said Matt McInerney, DRC chairman. “The DRC needed to ensure it had the necessary resources and expertise to deal with the types of issues that arise within this sector. This became much easier to address when it took a lead from PACA by limiting the disputes it will handle to those which occur prior to planting”.

The Dispute Resolution Corporation is a private, non-profit organization of companies that trade or transport fresh produce in North America. It was established with the support and endorsement of the Canadian, U.S. and Mexican governments. It is dedicated to providing fair, efficient, affordable, and enforceable dispute resolution services.


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