Tallahassee, Fla. – Today, Florida Commissioner of Agriculture Nikki Fried submitted written testimony to the U.S. Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry Subcommittee on Commodities, Risk Management, and Trade urging Congress to address unfair foreign trade practices causing decades-long harm to Florida farmers and the lack of protections for the domestic seasonal produce industry.
“Our state’s fruit and vegetable farming industry alone supports 68,700 jobs and creates $5 billion in annual cash receipts. In this time of heightened food insecurity both at home and abroad and with food costs skyrocketing, protecting the domestic food supply chain is a matter of national security. Our producers work tirelessly to feed our families and communities; we need to have their backs,” wrote Commissioner Fried.
“Passing the Defending Domestic Produce Production Act (H.R. 3926 and S. 2080) is something that Congress can and should take up without further delay to protect the strength of our domestic industry while we continue to work together to navigate the current challenges facing the industry,” she concluded.
Background: Commissioner Fried remains an outspoken advocate for the domestic seasonal produce industry, continuously calling for timely and effective relief for farmers in Florida and across the United States since taking office in 2019. In August 2020, Commissioner Fried testified at a virtual hearing held by the Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR), the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), and the U.S. Department of Commerce, presenting a major report showing the economic harm these trade distorting policies are having on Florida farmers and our economy overall FDACS report released in August 2021 that Commissioner Fried shared with the USDA and USTR.
Following the August 2020 hearing, the same three federal agencies outlined a plan to help the domestic seasonal produce industry, and Commissioner Fried reiterated her commitment to holding the administration accountable for delivering enforceable protections and access to relief for Florida’s farmers. Coming out of that hearing, the ITC launched multiple investigations into the impacts of increased foreign imports on several seasonal crops. In addition to testifying before the ITC on cucumbers and squash, Commissioner Fried also testified at its investigations into blueberries and provided comments on its strawberry and bell pepper investigation since no formal hearing was held. Commissioner Fried continues to work closely with Florida’s specialty crop growers and members of Congress demanding protections for the domestic seasonal produce industry.
A copy of the Commissioner’s statement for the record can be found here and below.
Statement of the Honorable Nicole “Nikki” Fried
U.S. Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, & Forestry Subcommittee on Commodities, Risk Management, and Trade
Hearing on Agricultural Trade: Priorities and Issues Facing America’s Farmers
June 9, 2022
Chairman Warnock, Ranking Member Hoeven, and members of the Subcommittee, thank you for the opportunity to address concerns and priorities of Florida’s agricultural industry. Chief among these issues are unfair foreign trade practices and lack of protections for domestic seasonal and perishable crop growers, including those in Florida. This issue may have started in the Sunshine State, but, as Chairman Warnock can attest to given the impact these issues have on Georgia growers as well, it is spreading rapidly and will impact our entire domestic seasonal produce industry. We have long been ringing the alarm bell on this issue and now, more than ever, it is critical for Congress to take action given the failure of USMCA in addressing this harmful situation.
Florida’s agricultural industry is the backbone of our state. It is our second largest industry and has a nearly $150 billion economic impact. We are home to 47,500 farms and ranches and the agriculture industry supports more than 2.4 million jobs. Our state’s fruit and vegetable farming industry alone supports 68,700 jobs and creates $5 billion in annual cash receipts. In this time of heightened food insecurity both at home and abroad and with food costs skyrocketing, protecting the domestic food supply chain is a matter of national security. Our producers work tirelessly to feed our families and communities; we need to have their backs.
As you may know, Florida and Mexico share a growing season given our sub-tropical climates. The Mexican government’s agricultural subsidies – in addition to their lower labor and environmental safety standards — allow Mexican producers to dump artificially low-priced products into the U.S. market. In 2021, these Mexican imports increased drastically. My department found[ 
] that since 2000, Florida’s share of the domestic U.S. market has plunged 40 percent, while Mexico’s has expanded by 217 percent. In 2020, U.S. imports of Mexican grown strawberries increased 27 percent, other berries increased 17 percent, bell peppers increased 16 percent, and that is only to name a few. While we have tracked these harmful foreign trade practice with a focus on Mexico, other foreign agricultural industries are also taking advantage of the fact that current trade laws leave American growers with no protections and a lack of access to remedies in the face of this continued dumping. I am enclosing the most recent economic reports produced by my Department on the negative impact this has had over the years across many commodities and multiple states. This documented, decades-long harm is why we need the protections outlined in the bipartisan, bicameral the Defending Domestic Produce Production Act (H.R. 3926 and S. 2080) to be enacted, a bill that we are thankful has the support of Chairman Warnock.
As you all are well aware, farming is a challenging profession and the importance of our agricultural industry cannot be emphasized enough, from feeding families to job creation to national security in uncertain times. In the face of so many challenges outside of our control, like more extreme weather and supply chain challenges caused by a once in a generation pandemic and Russia’s war in Ukraine, we need to do all we can to help support our vital agriculture industry. I am thankful for the actions already taken by the Biden Administration to help our producers overcome these challenges in the long-term, and encourage congressional action to further immediate assistance to our farmers during these difficult times. But there can and must be timely and effective relief granted to our domestic seasonal produce industry to stem the harm that has been caused by decades of unfair foreign trade practices going unchecked since NAFTA.
Passing the Defending Domestic Produce Production Act (H.R. 3926 and S. 2080) is something that Congress can and should take up without further delay to protect the strength of our domestic industry while we continue to work together to navigate the current challenges facing the industry. Know that the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services stands ready to assist the Senate Agriculture Committee as we work to keep America growing. Thank you for your attention to this important matter.
