Sens. Scott, Budd, Colleagues send letter to protect U.S. specialty crop producers and restore competitive trade balance with Mexico

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Tim Scott (R-S.C.) joined Sen. Ted Budd (R-N.C.) in sending a letter to U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer, calling for measures to restore a more competitive trade balance for U.S. specialty crops with Mexico. In the letter, the senators advocate for addressing the unsustainable pressures on U.S. specialty crop producers caused by an increasing volume of foreign products unfairly flooding U.S. markets while U.S. crops are reaching their peak in-season period. The letter comes as Ambassador Greer works to reauthorize the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA).

In the letter, the senators wrote:

"Without measures to restore competitive balance, specialty crop production will increasingly move to foreign countries. We urge you to evaluate trade actions that can safeguard U.S. growers from unfair pressures from Mexico. This work is essential to maintaining U.S. competitiveness in the specialty crop sector and ensuring Americans continue to have access to high-quality, domestically grown food, which is fundamental to our national security."

U.S. Senators Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-Miss.), Ashley Moody (R-Fla.), Jon Ossoff (D-Ga.), Rick Scott (R-Fla.), Raphael Warnock (D-Ga.), and Roger Wicker (R-Miss.) joined in co-signing the letter.

U.S. Representative Austin Scott (R-Ga.-08) led the letter in the House of Representatives and was joined by 79 members in sending the letter.

The letter is endorsed by: American Farm Bureau Federation, Alabama Farmers Federation, Blue Ridge Apple Growers Association, California Table Grape Commission, Colorado Fruit and Vegetable Association, Florida Blueberry Growers Association, Florida Farm Bureau Federation, Florida Fruit and Vegetable Association, Florida Tomato Exchange, Georgia Agribusiness Council, Georgia Berry Exchange, Georgia Blueberry Commission, Georgia Department of Agriculture Commissioner Tyler Harper, Georgia Farm Bureau, Georgia Fruit and Vegetable Growers Association, Georgia Green Industry Association, Georgia Pecan Growers Association, Georgia Watermelon Association, Idaho Onion Growers Association, Malheur County Onion Growers, Michigan Asparagus, Michigan Farm Bureau, Michigan Onion Committee, Michigan Vegetable Council, Mississippi Farm Bureau Federation, National Onion Association, National Pecan Federation, North Carolina Apple Growers Association, North Carolina Chamber, North Carolina Farm Bureau Federation, North Carolina Greenhouse Vegetable Growers Association, North Carolina Growers Association, North Carolina Sweetpotato Commission, North Carolina Tomato Growers Association, North Carolina Vegetable Growers Association, Oklahoma Pecan Growers Association, South Carolina Small Fruit Association, Southeastern Pecan Growers Association, Texas Pecan Growers Association, Tobacco Associates, Inc., Tobacco Growers Association of North Carolina, Vidalia Onion Business Council, Washington Red Raspberry Commission, and Western Pecan Growers Association.

Read the full letter text here or below:

Dear Ambassador Greer,

The U.S. specialty crop industry encompasses a large variety of commodities across 220,000 farms, each with distinct supply and demand conditions. As you know, many American growers of fruit, vegetable, and certain tree nut commodities and products are under unsustainable pressure from growing volumes of products unfairly entering U.S. markets. These imports flood the U.S. market, often at the same time U.S. crops are reaching their peak in-season period, with prices at or below the cost of production for U.S. producers. Additionally, many of these commodities are seasonal and/or perishable, creating unique challenges for identifying markets as these products must be harvested, marketed, and consumed within a limited window of time. Other specialty crops that are marketed year-round are forced to suffer the consequences over the course of the entire year. As you review the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA), we look forward to engaging with you to implement trade measures that will allow our specialty crop producers to continue to feed the nation and remain viable against unfair foreign competition. We urge you to consider the significant strain Mexico continues to place on the U.S. specialty crop industry.

Fresh fruit and vegetable imports from Mexico have increased by more than 550 percent since 2001, driven by fundamental cost and regulatory advantages.

Mexican producers operate with significantly lower labor and production expenses, where agricultural wages are about one-tenth of U.S. levels, while U.S. growers depend heavily on the higher-cost H-2A program for seasonal labor. Because labor accounts for roughly half of total production and harvest expenses in this industry, these disparities create a substantial competitive gap. Mexican farms also cut corners by avoiding many of the regulatory requirements imposed by U.S agencies, such as the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Department of Labor, further reinforcing their cost of production advantage.

Without measures to restore competitive balance, specialty crop production will increasingly move to foreign countries. We urge you to evaluate trade actions that can safeguard U.S. growers from unfair pressures from Mexico. This work is essential to maintaining U.S. competitiveness in the specialty crop sector and ensuring Americans continue to have access to high-quality, domestically grown food, which is fundamental to our national security.

Many specialty crop organizations and representatives recently submitted comments to the Office of the United States Trade Representative for consideration under Docket ID: USTR-2025-0004, titled "Request for Comments on the Operation of the Agreement between the United States of America, the United Mexican States, and Canada." We encourage you to prioritize the evaluation of these comments, and we emphasize the importance of these commodity industries' submissions. We appreciate your consideration of our growers' concerns, your review of the companion letter sent from 79 members of the U.S. House of Representatives on May 12, 2026 regarding this matter, and look forward to continued collaboration as the 2026 USMCA review process moves forward.

Sincerely,

/X/

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