BUFFALO, N.Y. (Feb. 15, 2005) — New York’s state Attorney General has stepped in on behalf of truckers to get the U.S. Food and drug Administration to increase hours of operation at the Peace Bridge at the Fort Erie, Ont. Buffalo border.

Echoing sentiments from the trucking industry on both sides of the border, Eliot Spitzer sent a letter to the FDA requesting the addition of a weekend shift at the Peace Bridge, as the agency does in Detroit and at other border crossings.

The Ontario Trucking Association has been lobbying government officials to support the truck group in its efforts in getting the FDA to add inspectors and extend hours of operation during weekends. The OTA says this lack of coverage by FDA officials has created serious inefficiencies for Ontario carriers hauling food or other FDA impacted product to the U.S. — particularly across the Port of Buffalo.

Moreover, the unpredictability of weekend operations at the border has created a diminishing U.S. consumer/consignee confidence in Canadian products. It is not uncommon to see weekend food haulers parked on the outskirts on both sides of the border crossing waiting for FDA to resume operations on Monday mornings.

Last summer, The Canadian Embassy in Washington wrote FDA to request sufficient staff coverage at border crossings during peak evening and weekend shipping hours. While FDA complied at the Windsor-Detroit, Sarnia-Port Huron, and other crossings, it still has not stepped up in Buffalo.

New York business recently complained of the bottleneck to Spitzer, who has a representative on the board of the Buffalo and Fort Erie Public Bridge Authority.

FDA spokesman Michael Herndon said last week that the agency is preparing a response to Spitzer. He said the FDA is considering all options “to assure the smooth and safe flow of commerce in a way that is consistent with maintaining the security of the nation’s food supply.”

— with files from Associated Press