Congressman Austin Scott (R-GA-08) wants to level the playing field for Georgia producers who struggle to compete against below-market foreign imports. On Wednesday, Scott teamed with Congressman Paul Ruiz (D-CA-36) in introducing the bipartisan American Seasonal and Perishable Crop Support Act (H.R. 4580).
U.S. Rep. Austin Scott
Scott says the legislation was drafted with American growers who have seen drastic drops in production as cheap, foreign-subsidized imports have driven prices below a sustainable level.
“For years, Georgia’s producers have struggled to compete with unfair trade practices, including our specialty crop producers who are seeing more and more foreign-subsidized produce dumped into U.S. markets below the cost of production,” said Scott. “The impact of these unfair trade practices has only been compounded by labor shortages and supply chain issues due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Food security is national security, and we must ensure we continue to support our American farmers and create a level playing field.”
Both the Georgia Farm Bureau and the Georgia Fruit and Vegetable Growers Association voiced their support of the legislation and their efforts to “level the playing field.”
“For too long, Georgia fruit, vegetable, and other specialty group producers have been negatively impacted by surging seasonal imports during our marketing windows, and despite the best efforts of these farmers and their representatives in Washington, very little has changed,” said Tom McCall, President, Georgia Farm Bureau. “We are grateful that Congressman Austin Scott is continuing to lead on this issue by offering a bill with Congressman Raul Ruiz that will help level the playing field for our farmer-members, and we look forward to working with them to secure its passage.”
“Our growers have suffered low prices year after year due to imports that appear at the time our growers are marketing their crops. Whether it’s squash, bell peppers, cucumbers, blueberries or other specialty crops, land grant university and state government data reflect the negative economic impact these seasonal imports have on Georgia and Southeastern growers,” said Charles Hall, Executive Director of the Georgia Fruit and Vegetable Growers Association.
This is an issue Scott has been working on for several years. Last year, he testified before a virtual United States Trade Representative (USTR) field hearing for Georgia farmers about the impact of unfair trade practices on growers of seasonal and perishable produce. During the hearing, Rep. Scott and farmers from Georgia’s 8th Congressional District stressed the importance of supporting American growers by addressing the dumping of fresh fruits and vegetables, particularly from Mexico, into U.S. markets below the cost of production.
