House members send USTR letter on specialty crops

House members, led by Rep. Austin Scott, R-Ga., wrote a letter to U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer about specialty crop industry concerns on imports from Mexico.

The letter was signed by 79 members — 66 Republicans and 13 Democrats representing 22 states.

“Current Mexican trade practices have flooded our markets with products that are held to a lower production standard than those produced here by American farmers. The USMCA review process gives us an opportunity to reaffirm and recommit our support for domestic agriculture and the American farmer by forcing Mexico to play by the same rules if they want to import to the United States,” Scott said in a news release.

“Fresh fruit and vegetable imports from Mexico have increased by more than 550% since 2001, driven by fundamental cost and regulatory advantages. Mexican producers operate with significantly lower labor and production expenses — agricultural wages are about one-tenth of U.S. levels — while U.S. growers depend heavily on the higher-cost H-2A program for seasonal labor,” the lawmakers wrote.

“We urge you to evaluate trade actions that can safeguard U.S. growers from unfair pressures from Mexico,” the letter added. “This work is essential to maintaining U.S. competitiveness in the specialty crop sector and to ensuring Americans continue to have access to high-quality, domestically grown food — an issue fundamental to our national security.”