Immigration, COOL and farm bill top priorities for United
Immigration, COOL and farm bill top priorities for United
WASHINGTON Money is always tight for specialty crops, but attendees of United Fresh Fruit & Vegetable Association's Washington Public Policy Conference, here, heard news that the budget for agriculture got even tighter as Congress responded to the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.
More than 275 members of the produce industry representing more than 30 states signed up for the Sept. 13-16 conference, which provided an opportunity to hear from elected leaders and lobby congressional staff on hot-button issues.
The record attendance shows a growing recognition of the need to personally meet with congressmen, said Tom Stenzel, president and CEO of United.
Many of the top officials spoke of the overwhelming challenge Hurricane Katrina left behind and the way the winds also shifted the political climate in Congress. When Congress wrote the last farm bill in 2002, "we had the luxury of writing it with a surplus," said Sen. Saxby Chambliss (R-GA), chairman of the powerful Senate Committee on Agriculture. In 2007, the country will be facing large deficits.
Theres lots of anxiety about the 2007 farm bill, he said, adding that world trade agreements could play an even larger role in influencing the next farm bill.
The senator said that his committee would be holding no hearings on the farm bill this year. Our plates loaded, he said, referring to the hurricane response, the looming vote on a Supreme Court nominee and the remaining appropriations work, all of which are likely to extend the legislative session to November of this year.
When asked about whether growers could see permanent relief from the estate tax a recurring issue at the Sept. 14 meeting Sen. Chambliss said that he favored eliminating it, but then Katrina hit. The enormous price tag expected to help rebuild the Gulf Coast may mean that everyone will need to look at a compromise measure, he said.
Its been a difficult couple of weeks, said USDA Deputy Secretary Charles Conner, who recounted USDAs response to help Hurricane Katrina victims. A relatively small amount of agricultural land was damaged by the hurricane, he said, and USDA has been spending an enormous amount of time coordinating food shipments to people in crisis.
Mr. Conner challenged the group to take a fresh look at the next farm bill, and for the produce industry to make support for future trade agreements a top priority.
He called on the produce industry to look at the farm bill not in terms of dollars, but on new policies that could help the industry feed the worlds growing population. I encourage you to be directly engaged in the farm bill process, he said. Look at the broader picture, he said, rather than getting bogged down on a specific target amount for the Section 32 program.
When asked whether the administration would support a stand-alone title for fruits and vegetables in the next farm bill, Mr. Conner said that it is very possible, and that he didnt see why we would shy away from looking at that at this point.
Mr. Conner then dished out some harsh words for those who did not support the latest free trade agreement. Trade agreements are vital for the industry to go forward, he said, and the upcoming trade negotiations in Hong Kong could give the United States a new direction in farm policy.
He described the bruising battle the administration suffered in order to pass the Central America Free Trade Agreement, and he blamed a small segment of the agriculture industry for bottling up CAFTA. CAFTA should have been non-controversial and it wasnt.
Three issues top Uniteds wish list
Along with the upcoming farm bill, two other issues have become major priorities for United this year and could end up being debated in Congress this fall: immigration reform and the future of country-of-origin labeling.
The need for a permanent and legal workforce is critical for the produce industry, with some in the industry fearing it could leave companies unable to harvest and pack fruits and vegetables, said Mr. Stenzel. With renewed attention from Congress and the Bush administration, this may be the time for some changes.
One Arizona grower in attendance said that he was facing a shortage of labor going into harvest time and that the issue was in desperate need of a fix.
Monte Lake, a lawyer with McGuinness, Norris & Williams, briefed the group on reworking the federal H2A guest worker program. Congress hasnt had the will to screen out all undocumented workers, but when it does growers will lose, he said.
Right now the H2A program is unworkable and provides a Soviet-style wage rate, said Mr. Lake. With Congress discussing immigration reform and President Bush rumored to be working on his own bill, this is a prime opportunity for the industry to speak of the pressing need to support the incorporation of AgJOBS framework into any comprehensive reform bill.
Sen. Larry Craig (R-ID) continues to push the AgJOBS bill in the Senate, while all we hear in the House is enforcement, enforcement, enforcement, said Mr. Lake, who represents growers. If they succeed in shutting down borders and require documents to be electronically verified, thats a real threat to us.
Advocates for H2A reform are pushing for action this year, but the outcome is far from clear. As Sen. Chambliss said, Ive never seen an issue more sensitive than immigration. Finally, produce industry representatives traveled to Washington looking for relief from the looming country-of-origin program, which goes into effect for fruits and vegetables in October 2006. Leaders of the fruit and vegetable industry have come up with an alternative solution draft legislative language that lays out a strong voluntary labeling program as a way to bypass the costly recordkeeping requirements of a mandatory program.
It was a tough sell as some members of the industry wanted to repeal the farm bill measure and others wanted it to stand, said Robert Guenther, vice president of public policy for United.
The Food Marketing Institute has yet to weigh in on the draft legislation, a move that would throw more weight behind the measure. I feel confident they will like this approach, said Mr. Guenther, who briefed the session on COOL issues.
But with time running out, the industry is also telling lawmakers that any deal to delay implementing COOL for meat products should include fresh produce, too.
Sen. Chambliss said that even though he supported mandatory COOL, he wants to make sure it is done right and doesnt bite into your profits.
People should know where their produce comes from, he told the group. But rather than a quick decision, I hope we take the time to do it right. Probably the place to do it will be the next farm bill, he said.
More than 275 members of the produce industry representing more than 30 states signed up for the Sept. 13-16 conference, which provided an opportunity to hear from elected leaders and lobby congressional staff on hot-button issues.
The record attendance shows a growing recognition of the need to personally meet with congressmen, said Tom Stenzel, president and CEO of United.
Many of the top officials spoke of the overwhelming challenge Hurricane Katrina left behind and the way the winds also shifted the political climate in Congress. When Congress wrote the last farm bill in 2002, "we had the luxury of writing it with a surplus," said Sen. Saxby Chambliss (R-GA), chairman of the powerful Senate Committee on Agriculture. In 2007, the country will be facing large deficits.
Theres lots of anxiety about the 2007 farm bill, he said, adding that world trade agreements could play an even larger role in influencing the next farm bill.
The senator said that his committee would be holding no hearings on the farm bill this year. Our plates loaded, he said, referring to the hurricane response, the looming vote on a Supreme Court nominee and the remaining appropriations work, all of which are likely to extend the legislative session to November of this year.
When asked about whether growers could see permanent relief from the estate tax a recurring issue at the Sept. 14 meeting Sen. Chambliss said that he favored eliminating it, but then Katrina hit. The enormous price tag expected to help rebuild the Gulf Coast may mean that everyone will need to look at a compromise measure, he said.
Its been a difficult couple of weeks, said USDA Deputy Secretary Charles Conner, who recounted USDAs response to help Hurricane Katrina victims. A relatively small amount of agricultural land was damaged by the hurricane, he said, and USDA has been spending an enormous amount of time coordinating food shipments to people in crisis.
Mr. Conner challenged the group to take a fresh look at the next farm bill, and for the produce industry to make support for future trade agreements a top priority.
He called on the produce industry to look at the farm bill not in terms of dollars, but on new policies that could help the industry feed the worlds growing population. I encourage you to be directly engaged in the farm bill process, he said. Look at the broader picture, he said, rather than getting bogged down on a specific target amount for the Section 32 program.
When asked whether the administration would support a stand-alone title for fruits and vegetables in the next farm bill, Mr. Conner said that it is very possible, and that he didnt see why we would shy away from looking at that at this point.
Mr. Conner then dished out some harsh words for those who did not support the latest free trade agreement. Trade agreements are vital for the industry to go forward, he said, and the upcoming trade negotiations in Hong Kong could give the United States a new direction in farm policy.
He described the bruising battle the administration suffered in order to pass the Central America Free Trade Agreement, and he blamed a small segment of the agriculture industry for bottling up CAFTA. CAFTA should have been non-controversial and it wasnt.
Three issues top Uniteds wish list
Along with the upcoming farm bill, two other issues have become major priorities for United this year and could end up being debated in Congress this fall: immigration reform and the future of country-of-origin labeling.
The need for a permanent and legal workforce is critical for the produce industry, with some in the industry fearing it could leave companies unable to harvest and pack fruits and vegetables, said Mr. Stenzel. With renewed attention from Congress and the Bush administration, this may be the time for some changes.
One Arizona grower in attendance said that he was facing a shortage of labor going into harvest time and that the issue was in desperate need of a fix.
Monte Lake, a lawyer with McGuinness, Norris & Williams, briefed the group on reworking the federal H2A guest worker program. Congress hasnt had the will to screen out all undocumented workers, but when it does growers will lose, he said.
Right now the H2A program is unworkable and provides a Soviet-style wage rate, said Mr. Lake. With Congress discussing immigration reform and President Bush rumored to be working on his own bill, this is a prime opportunity for the industry to speak of the pressing need to support the incorporation of AgJOBS framework into any comprehensive reform bill.
Sen. Larry Craig (R-ID) continues to push the AgJOBS bill in the Senate, while all we hear in the House is enforcement, enforcement, enforcement, said Mr. Lake, who represents growers. If they succeed in shutting down borders and require documents to be electronically verified, thats a real threat to us.
Advocates for H2A reform are pushing for action this year, but the outcome is far from clear. As Sen. Chambliss said, Ive never seen an issue more sensitive than immigration. Finally, produce industry representatives traveled to Washington looking for relief from the looming country-of-origin program, which goes into effect for fruits and vegetables in October 2006. Leaders of the fruit and vegetable industry have come up with an alternative solution draft legislative language that lays out a strong voluntary labeling program as a way to bypass the costly recordkeeping requirements of a mandatory program.
It was a tough sell as some members of the industry wanted to repeal the farm bill measure and others wanted it to stand, said Robert Guenther, vice president of public policy for United.
The Food Marketing Institute has yet to weigh in on the draft legislation, a move that would throw more weight behind the measure. I feel confident they will like this approach, said Mr. Guenther, who briefed the session on COOL issues.
But with time running out, the industry is also telling lawmakers that any deal to delay implementing COOL for meat products should include fresh produce, too.
Sen. Chambliss said that even though he supported mandatory COOL, he wants to make sure it is done right and doesnt bite into your profits.
People should know where their produce comes from, he told the group. But rather than a quick decision, I hope we take the time to do it right. Probably the place to do it will be the next farm bill, he said.
