• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
  • About
  • Advertise
  • Submit News
  • Contact Us

Capital Soup

Florida News Straight From the Source

  • Soup Du Jour
  • People
  • Government
  • Campaign
  • Business
  • Education
  • Insights
  • Video
You are here: Home / Government / Senators take aim at unfair trade practices hurting Florida fruit and vegetable growers

Senators take aim at unfair trade practices hurting Florida fruit and vegetable growers

Posted on September 26, 2018

U.S. Sens. Bill Nelson (D-Fla.) and Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) introduced legislation today to help Florida fruit and vegetable growers combat unfair trade practices.

The bill comes amid long-standing and increasing complaints from Florida farmers that Mexican growers illegally flood the U.S. market with subsidized produce during the winter season. Florida is one of the few places in the country that can grow warm-weather crops during the winter, such as tomatoes, cucumbers, bell peppers, strawberries and blueberries.

Florida growers have been unable to fight back against Mexican trade abuses because U.S. law requires them to prove the abuse occurs year-round instead of just during the winter season when they make most of their sales.

In July, the Trump administration pledged to fix the problem by renegotiating the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). But, when the president announced a new deal with Mexico last month, it failed to address the concerns of Florida growers. The two lawmakers filed their bill today to address the administration’s lack of action.

“Enough is enough. Too many growers in Florida have been crippled by Mexican trade abuses,” Nelson said. “If the administration won’t fix this, Congress will.”

“We must do all we can to ensure a level playing field for Florida’s fruit and vegetable growers,” Rubio said. “Absent a memorandum of understanding or suspension agreements with the Mexican government covering seasonal and perishable produce imports, I’m proud to support this bill with Senator Nelson to increase opportunities for Florida growers to successfully seek relief from the illegal dumping of Mexican winter produce into domestic markets.”

Specifically, the legislation would allow Florida growers to bring trade cases with the Department of Commerce and the U.S. International Trade Commission against Mexican growers if they can prove the dumping occurs seasonally rather than year-round. The U.S. government doesn’t currently consider seasonal differences in the market when determining whether to impose antidumping or countervailing duties on unfairly priced goods.

A copy of the bill is available here.

Share this article! Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

Filed Under: Government Tagged With: Senator Bill Nelson

Primary Sidebar

    Submit News    

Senate Unanimously Passes Balanced Budget, Ensures Significant Reserves as Economy Recovers

Key investments in child welfare, minimum wage - New infrastructure plan mitigates impacts of sea level rise, … [Read More...] about Senate Unanimously Passes Balanced Budget, Ensures Significant Reserves as Economy Recovers

Senate Passes Comprehensive Plan to Invest in Florida’s Infrastructure

The Florida Senate today passed Senate Bill 2512, Documentary Stamp Tax Distributions, and Senate Bill 2514, … [Read More...] about Senate Passes Comprehensive Plan to Invest in Florida’s Infrastructure

27 arrested in Operation No Warning

Suspects were a major supplier of cocaine in Leon and Gadsden counties Florida Department of Law Enforcement … [Read More...] about 27 arrested in Operation No Warning

Keep in Touch

  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Twitter

Newsletter signup

Stay in the loop! Subscribe to our weekly newsletter to receive a brief recap of the week's most popular stories.

Footer

News

  • Soup Du Jour
  • People
  • Government
  • Campaign
  • Business
  • Education
  • Insights
  • Video

About Us 

  • About
  • Advertise
  • Submit News
  • Contact Us

Keep in Touch

  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Twitter

Copyright © 2021
Terms & Conditions

© Copyright 2021 Capital Soup · All Rights Reserved ·