In the past several days, inspectors with the state Agriculture Department have returned to examining grain shipments at United Grain Corp.’s sprawling plant at the port, a spokesman for the Agriculture Department said Tuesday. Inspectors had recently been unable to reach United Grain because the department said that locked-out longshore workers picketing the entry point — a gate on the port’s east side — had increasingly made inspectors feel unsafe.
Now, agriculture officials will ask Vancouver police to send an officer to the gate to ensure inspectors are able to safely reach United Grain to go to work. … However, the closer working relationship between grain inspectors and the police is a temporary arrangement until a formal agreement can be worked out. Castro said officials are working on protocols that will cover grain inspectors’ access to United Grain, including what to do in case police are unable to send someone.
