A coalition of ranching and farming groups sent a letter to the U.S. International Trade Commission to support U.S. blueberry growers’ request for relief from surges of low-priced imported blueberries.
The American Blueberry Growers Alliance alleged that imports of blueberries from Mexico, Peru, Chile, Argentina and Canada increased dramatically over the past five years and are driving domestic blueberry farmers out of business.
“Domestic blueberry growers should be reaping the benefits of the growing U.S. market even as they share it with imports. Instead, family farmers, suppliers, and local communities are being seriously injured as domestic blueberries compete with imports from countries that have lower food safety, labor, and environmental standards,” Bill Bullard, CEO of Ranchers-Cattlemen Action Legal Fund (R-CALF) USA wrote.
Bullard wrote in the support letter “a number of issues facing our organizations and the domestic blueberry growers are very similar. We face foreign targeting of U.S. markets and support for expanded production and export of agriculture products.”
In September 2020, the United States Trade Representative opened an investigation under Section 201 of the Trade Act of 1974 and had 120 days to determine if increased blueberry imports were harming U.S. blueberry growers.
