US shipments down Shipments of US pears to Europe are down by a third so far this season, reaching 605,000 cartons up to January 1. The national crop was reduced from 16.4 million boxes to 14.5 million in comparison with last season. This has led to multiples inevitably cutting back winter programmes to develop sales of red and blushed varieties which many believe have the potential for substantial expansion. {{FRESH PRODUCE }}