Hastings Leads Efforts To Support Asparagus Farmers

Press Release

Congressman Doc Hastings (WA-04) today led bipartisan congressional efforts to encourage the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) to start signup for the Asparagus Market Loss Program.

"The Andean Trade Preferences Act continues to have a devastating impact on the Washington asparagus industry, and I am pleased that Congress acted last year to help compensate growers and processors for these losses," said Hastings. "Unfortunately, more than a year after the passage of the 2008 Farm Bill, USDA has yet to draft the regulations that allow these funds to be dispersed. After almost two decades of severe losses, it is unacceptable to make our asparagus growers continue to wait"

The Andean Trade Preferences Act (ATPA) that was signed into law to assist with drug suppression efforts in the Andean region extended duty-free access to the United States market for Peruvian asparagus. As a result, U.S. asparagus acreage has decreased from 90,000 acres in 1990 to less than 49,000 acres in 2006, and farmers have been forced to lower their prices by as much as 34 percent in a single year. This has translated into the closure of canneries and increased economic stress throughout Central Washington.

Recognizing the devastating impact of the ATPA on the asparagus industry, Congress created the Asparagus Market Loss Program in last year's Farm Bill to help compensate growers for losses associated with the passage of the ATPA. Hastings supported the creation of this program and drafted a letter to House and Senate leaders to keep the program in the final version of the Farm Bill. USDA must draft regulations before these funds can be dispersed.

A copy of the letter may be found here.

Members signing the letter include:

Rep. Brian Baird (WA-03)
Rep. Dennis Cardoza (CA-18)
Rep. Norm Dicks (WA-06)
Rep. Doc Hastings (WA-04)
Rep. Pete Hoekstra (MI-02)
Rep. Jay Inslee (WA-01)
Rep. Rick Larsen (WA-02)
Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers (WA-05)
Rep. Candice Miller (MI-10)
Rep. Adam Smith (WA-09)
Rep. Fred Upton (MI-06)

Source