Ashley Moody, Vern Buchanan lead Florida delegation to demand protections from seasonal produce dumping

U.S. Sen. Ashley Moody and U.S. Rep. Vern Buchanan want Florida farmers protected in trade negotiations with Mexico.

“For too long, Mexico has taken advantage of trade agreements in ways that put Florida growers at a disadvantage — harming the industry and our farmers,” said Moody, a Plant City Republican.

The lawmakers led a bicameral letter to President Donald Trump expressing concerns about poor quality produce being dumped into the market. That has persisted under the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA), which was negotiated as a replacement for the North American Free Trade Agreement during Trump’s first term.

Buchanan, now Vice Chair of the House Ways and Means Committee, helped negotiate the USMCA in 2019, but pushed then for accommodations for many seasonal growers with products like tomatoes. He also filed legislation, including the Defending Domestic Produce Protection Act in 2023, specifically focused on stopping season dumping and other unfair trade practices in Mexico.

He said challenges faced in those sectors remain.

“Florida’s farmers are being squeezed out of their own market by a flood of low-priced imports from Mexico,” the Longboat Key Republican said.

“Unfair Mexican Trade Practices are putting American farms, jobs and our national food supply at risk. The administration has an opportunity during the USMCA review to restore balance and stand up for Florida growers by implementing targeted tariff-rate quotas that ensure our farmers can compete on a level playing field.”

The letter bears signatures of a dozen other members of Florida’s congressional delegation, including GOP U.S. Reps. Aaron Bean, Gus Bilirakis, Kat Cammack, Mario Díaz-Balart, Neal Dunn, Scott Franklin, Carlos Giménez, Mike Haridopolos, Laurel Lee, John Rutherford and Daniel Webster, as well as Democratic U.S. Rep. Darren Soto.

“We urge the Administration to act decisively during the upcoming USMCA Joint Review to safeguard Florida’s produce sector and our country’s vital U.S.-grown fruit and vegetable supply,” the letter reads.

Of note, the Commerce Department last year announced it would end an agreement allowing the import of tomatoes from Mexico.

But agriculture industry leaders say problems persist for Florida agriculture.

“Florida growers urgently need the Administration to establish seasonal, product-specific tariff rate quotas (TRQs) to effectively limit imports of fruits and vegetables from Mexico,” said Mike Joyner, president of the Florida Fruit & Vegetable Association.

“We are grateful to Congressman Buchanan and the entire Florida Congressional Delegation for their leadership in urging the Administration to use the USMCA Joint Review process to achieve these TRQ measures. Without these targeted safeguards, we risk undermining our nation’s food and national security.”