U.S. Sen. Rick Scott, R-Naples, is pushing the federal government to take action to protect Florida’s strawberry harvest from foreign producers.
In a July 2 letter to U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, Scott urged the federal government to investigate the “suspected illegal dumping” of Mexican strawberries during Florida’s peak growing and harvesting season.
“The dumping of Mexican strawberries on U.S. soil is more than just an economic threat to American farmers; it’s a health and safety risk for American consumers,” Scott said in a post on X on Tuesday. “We need to protect our economy by ensuring that we are strengthening American agriculture. Grow American, buy American.”
Scott is following up on claims made by Strawberry Growers for Fair Trade, a group of farmers who petitioned the U.S. Department of Commerce and the U.S. International Trade Commission to investigate a high volume of Mexican strawberries priced cheaper than Florida’s supply.
In the letter, Scott alleged more than 200 million kilograms of Mexican strawberries “flooded” the U.S. market from November to March, the height of Florida’s season.
“Florida’s farmers cannot afford another lost season while foreign producers and importers run out the clock,” Scott wrote in his letter to Lutnick. “Food security is national security, and we cannot allow our nation’s ability to feed itself to depend on the trade practices of a foreign government.”
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