Challenging legislative agenda dominates WPPC meeting
Challenging legislative agenda dominates WPPC meeting
WASHINGTON -- United Fresh Produce Association members spent little time celebrating the success of a newly passed farm bill at the group's recent Washington Public Policy Conference, even though it promises to deliver billions of dollars to support fruit and vegetable programs.
Instead, United Fresh members who traveled to the nation's capital during the annual conference focused on making sure promises are kept on funding the farm bill, along with a short list of legislative must-haves.
Tom Stenzel, president and chief executive officer of United Fresh, told attendees in kicking off the conference Sept. 11 to take their message and remind officials that consumers lose when industry prices rise due to administrative costs, failure to address comprehensive labor reform and when government scares people away from products without just cause.
While the group thanked elected leaders for doing the heavy lifting in passing a farm bill with more money for the school snack program, block grants and marketing programs, it also made clear that it will be watching as Congress appropriates money and the U.S. Department of Agriculture interprets the new law.
U.S. Sen. Debbie Stabenow (D-MI) said that she would be spending the next five years making sure the farm bill's $3 billion promise in specialty crop spending is kept during the annual appropriations process.
Many of the elected leaders who spoke to record attendance at the conference said that food safety would be a top issue in Congress next year. "I know that no one wants food to be safer more than you do," said Sen. Stabenow. "Next year that's something we will be heavily engaged in."
"When there's a food-safety scare, people get sick and industry goes broke," said U.S. Rep. Dennis Cardoza (D-CA), chairman of a House Agriculture subcommittee. He faulted the Food & Drug Administration for wrongly blaming the tomato industry for the massive Salmonella outbreak that may have been caused by one or two Jalape?o growers.
"I will fight hard for common-sense solutions," he said.
Randy Russell, partner with Lesher, Russell & Barron Inc., agreed that food safety will be "front and center" next year, and that Congress will be made up of more Democrats - regardless of who wins the White House in the fall. Manuel Rodriguez, a senior vice president at Chiquita Brands International, said that the industry is in a bind without federal food-safety legislation that should be commodity-specific and science-based.
"But there's light at the end of the tunnel," said Mr. Rodriguez.
Making sure there are good food-safety standards should not jeopardize the economic viability of the growing industry, said Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-CT), who chairs the House Appropriations subcommittee that oversees funding for the U.S. Department of Agriculture and FDA. The FDA has done a poor job of protecting public health and protecting the industry, she said. The FDA has "put both in jeopardy," she said.
More than 100 members traveled by bus to the Mexican Embassy for a briefing by Froylan Garcia, counselor for agricultural affairs, who said that the produce industry is very integrated between the two neighboring countries yet when this summer's Salmonella outbreak occurred, many U.S. companies were quick to point fingers at Mexican producers.
"We need to strengthen communication and work together as a region," said Mr. Garcia.
On the legislative front, Lorelei DiSogra, vice president of nutrition and health for United Fresh, said that next year's reauthorization of the Child Nutrition Act should include a salad bar in every school, because studies show that salad bars boost produce consumption in school-aged kids.
Inspired by his six-year-old daughter Mary Grace, Charles Wingard of Walter P. Rawl & Sons has carried this same message to federal officials. Because of his lobbying campaign for school salad bars, United Fresh recognized Mr. Wingard and his South Carolina family farm with the Industry Advocate of the Year Award.
Other issues were tackled at the meeting. Through breakout sessions, members learned how to apply for expanded specialty crop block grants, comply with the looming country-of-origin-labeling law, and participate in the Women & Infant Care feeding program for low-income moms. Immigration reform was never far off the agenda.
U.S. Sen. Saxby Chambliss (D-GA) said that he favored streamlining regulations for H-2A, the temporary agricultural labor program, but the issue has not left "a good taste in the mouth" of elected leaders who do not favor moving forward with comprehensive immigration reform.
The presidential election was another issue that kept coming up at the Sept. 10-13 meeting. Sen. Stabenow, a Democrat, called on produce industry leaders to elect U.S. Sen. Barack Obama (D-IL), the only candidate who did not vote against the farm bill.
"I want a new USDA run by someone who supports the farm bill," she said. Advisers for Sens. Obama and John McCain (R-AZ) faced off on agricultural issues at the final event of the three-day conference.
Instead, United Fresh members who traveled to the nation's capital during the annual conference focused on making sure promises are kept on funding the farm bill, along with a short list of legislative must-haves.
Tom Stenzel, president and chief executive officer of United Fresh, told attendees in kicking off the conference Sept. 11 to take their message and remind officials that consumers lose when industry prices rise due to administrative costs, failure to address comprehensive labor reform and when government scares people away from products without just cause.
While the group thanked elected leaders for doing the heavy lifting in passing a farm bill with more money for the school snack program, block grants and marketing programs, it also made clear that it will be watching as Congress appropriates money and the U.S. Department of Agriculture interprets the new law.
U.S. Sen. Debbie Stabenow (D-MI) said that she would be spending the next five years making sure the farm bill's $3 billion promise in specialty crop spending is kept during the annual appropriations process.
Many of the elected leaders who spoke to record attendance at the conference said that food safety would be a top issue in Congress next year. "I know that no one wants food to be safer more than you do," said Sen. Stabenow. "Next year that's something we will be heavily engaged in."
"When there's a food-safety scare, people get sick and industry goes broke," said U.S. Rep. Dennis Cardoza (D-CA), chairman of a House Agriculture subcommittee. He faulted the Food & Drug Administration for wrongly blaming the tomato industry for the massive Salmonella outbreak that may have been caused by one or two Jalape?o growers.
"I will fight hard for common-sense solutions," he said.
Randy Russell, partner with Lesher, Russell & Barron Inc., agreed that food safety will be "front and center" next year, and that Congress will be made up of more Democrats - regardless of who wins the White House in the fall. Manuel Rodriguez, a senior vice president at Chiquita Brands International, said that the industry is in a bind without federal food-safety legislation that should be commodity-specific and science-based.
"But there's light at the end of the tunnel," said Mr. Rodriguez.
Making sure there are good food-safety standards should not jeopardize the economic viability of the growing industry, said Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-CT), who chairs the House Appropriations subcommittee that oversees funding for the U.S. Department of Agriculture and FDA. The FDA has done a poor job of protecting public health and protecting the industry, she said. The FDA has "put both in jeopardy," she said.
More than 100 members traveled by bus to the Mexican Embassy for a briefing by Froylan Garcia, counselor for agricultural affairs, who said that the produce industry is very integrated between the two neighboring countries yet when this summer's Salmonella outbreak occurred, many U.S. companies were quick to point fingers at Mexican producers.
"We need to strengthen communication and work together as a region," said Mr. Garcia.
On the legislative front, Lorelei DiSogra, vice president of nutrition and health for United Fresh, said that next year's reauthorization of the Child Nutrition Act should include a salad bar in every school, because studies show that salad bars boost produce consumption in school-aged kids.
Inspired by his six-year-old daughter Mary Grace, Charles Wingard of Walter P. Rawl & Sons has carried this same message to federal officials. Because of his lobbying campaign for school salad bars, United Fresh recognized Mr. Wingard and his South Carolina family farm with the Industry Advocate of the Year Award.
Other issues were tackled at the meeting. Through breakout sessions, members learned how to apply for expanded specialty crop block grants, comply with the looming country-of-origin-labeling law, and participate in the Women & Infant Care feeding program for low-income moms. Immigration reform was never far off the agenda.
U.S. Sen. Saxby Chambliss (D-GA) said that he favored streamlining regulations for H-2A, the temporary agricultural labor program, but the issue has not left "a good taste in the mouth" of elected leaders who do not favor moving forward with comprehensive immigration reform.
The presidential election was another issue that kept coming up at the Sept. 10-13 meeting. Sen. Stabenow, a Democrat, called on produce industry leaders to elect U.S. Sen. Barack Obama (D-IL), the only candidate who did not vote against the farm bill.
"I want a new USDA run by someone who supports the farm bill," she said. Advisers for Sens. Obama and John McCain (R-AZ) faced off on agricultural issues at the final event of the three-day conference.
