The Canadian Government is mandating extra screening of romaine lettuce, causing delays, and added expense for Salinas Valley farmers who rely on exporting most of their lettuce to Canada.
More challenges for local farmers include recent wildfires, smoke damage, or difficulties adjusting to the ongoing pandemic.
The requirements for screening of lettuce imported from the Central Valley were put into place due to claims of the Central Coast being the source of recurring E. coli outbreaks.
An official with the Monterey County Farm Bureau said that the added delays could affect freshness of their produce and could add 1-to-2 days to final delivery.
