Press Releases
Rep. Austin Scott Leads House Letter Urging Action on Mexican Specialty Crop Imports Ahead of USMCA Review
May 12, 2026Washington, D.C— Today, U.S. Representative Austin Scott (GA-08) led a bipartisan group of 79 members of the U.S. House of Representatives in sending a letter to United States Trade Representative (USTR) Ambassador Jamieson Greer to emphasize the importance of fair-trade measures for the U.S. specialty crop industry.
“America’s growers and producers are the best in the world. Current Mexican trade practices have flooded our markets with products that are held to a lower production standard than those produced here by American farmers. The USMCA review process gives us an opportunity to reaffirm and recommit our support for domestic agriculture and the American farmer by forcing Mexico to play by the same rules if they want to import to the United States,” said Rep. Scott.
The letter urges the Administration to address the urgent crisis as unfairly traded imports from Mexico continue to undercut U.S. growers and creates a significant competitive disadvantage for American producers. The letter calls for improved trade measures, as part of the 2026 United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) review process, that protect the long-term viability of America’s fruit, vegetable, and certain tree nut industries, and ensure continued access to domestically grown food.
In the letter, the Members write: "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 to ensuring Americans continue to have access to high-quality, domestically grown food—an issue fundamental to our national security.”
Read the full letter here.
The following state, regional, and national organizations have endorsed the letter:
American Farm Bureau Federation
Alabama Farmers Federation
California Table Grape Commission
Florida Blueberry Growers Association
Florida Farm Bureau Federation
Florida Fruit and Vegetable Growers Association
Florida Tomato Exchange
Georgia Agribusiness Council
Georgia Berry Exchange
Georgia Blueberry Commission
Georgia Farm Bureau
Georgia Fruit and Vegetable Growers Association
Georgia Pecan Growers Association
Georgia Watermelon Association
Michigan Asparagus
Michigan Vegetable Council
Mississippi Farm Bureau Federation
National Onion Association
National Pecan Federation
North Carolina Sweetpotato Commission
Oklahoma Pecan Growers Association
South Carolina Small Fruit Association
Southeastern Pecan Growers Association
Texas Pecan Growers Association
Vidalia Onion Business Council
Washington Red Raspberry Commission
Western Pecan Growers Association