Letter to Robert Lighthizer, United States Trade Representative - Specialty Crops

Letter

Dear Ambassador Lighthizer,

As members of the Georgia Congressional Delegation, we would like to express our support for the Administration's goal included in the Summary of Objectives for the NAFTA Renegotiations to seek "a separate domestic industry provision for perishable and seasonable products" in antidumping (AD) and countervailing duty (CVD) proceedings. That improvement is critically needed to ensure that the perishable and seasonal sectors in Georgia, the Southeast, and the broader nation have viable access to safeguards to address the unfair trading practices used by Mexican exporters of fresh fruits and vegetables.

Mexico's exponential growth in fresh fruit and vegetable exports to the United States under NAFTA has had a profoundly negative impact on Georgia and other regions of the country, resulting in a significant loss of agricultural cash receipts. To a great extent, Mexican fruit and vegetable producers have been able to achieve this extraordinary growth because of unfair Mexican subsidies and prices that are significantly below costs of production.

The Administration's new rules for seasonal and perishable products will ensure that these producers, who can only sell during certain periods of the year and are especially vulnerable to trade surges, have recourse to viable trade remedies when faced with unfair trade practice. New rules of this nature will also help fulfill the Trade Priorities and Accountability Act of 2015 (TPAA) objectives, which call for "eliminating practices that adversely affect trade in perishable or cyclical products, while improving import relief mechanisms to recognize the unique characteristics of perishable and cyclical agriculture."

Mexico's unfair trade practices have become unsustainable for Georgia's fresh fruit and vegetable sector, and it is vital that the Administration considers using more near-term remedial tools to help correct these practices. These include recourse to Department of Commerce AD/CVD self-initiation and monitoring authority and increased US Government advocacy to make clear to Mexico that its unfair pricing and subsidy practices are being monitored and will be subject to action if they continue.

We applaud the Administration's support for US perishable and seasonal sectors and stand ready to work with the Administration on improving trade remedy coverage for these sectors and taking the other near-term steps needed to alleviate the Mexican unfair trading practices that are putting Georgia and other regions of our nation's important fresh fruit and vegetable industry at risk.

Sincerely,

Representative Austin Scott
Representative Rick Allen
Representative Sanford D. Bishop, Jr.
Representative Earl L. "Buddy" Carter
Representative Doug Collins
Representative Drew Ferguson
Representative Karen Handel
Representative Jody Hice
Representative David Scott