Republican House Member Takes to Floor Over Seasonality
Rep. Ross Spano, R-Fla., gave a short speech on the floor of the House Oct. 28, calling for a change to antidumping laws so that growers from one region can bring a case over agricultural competition during their growing seasons. "Strawberry growers in Plant City, Florida, are under attack," Spano said.
Sign up for a free preview to unlock the rest of this article
Timely, relevant coverage of court proceedings and agency rulings involving tariffs, classification, valuation, origin and antidumping and countervailing duties. Each day, Trade Law Daily subscribers receive a daily headline email, in-depth PDF edition and access to all relevant documents via our trade law source document library and website.
"For years Mexico has spent millions subsidizing their strawberry production. This has allowed them to export strawberries at a cost our local growers cannot compete with. Consequently, imports of Mexican strawberries have increased by approximately 80 percent since 2010. Furthermore, current trade agreements don’t allow seasonal growers to bring antidumping claims. This means our growers are left with a right against unlawful dumping but no means of enforcing it.
"Plant City, Florida, is known as the Winter Strawberry Capital of the World and produces more than 85 percent of all the winter strawberries grown here in our Nation. It is imperative for Congress to correct the situation and pass legislation that gives our growers the protections that they need and deserve."