In the US, the Specialty Crop Farm Bill Alliance (SCFBA) has welcomed a letter signed by 32 senators calling for a 2012 Farm Bill that would build on previous specialty crop investments.
In a letter sent to Senate agriculture Committee chairwoman Debbie Stabenow and Ranking Member Pat Roberts, the senators said that the specialty crop programmes established in the 2008 Farm Bill 'generated significant benefits for consumers, producers and farm communities'.
'As Congress sets the nationa's agriculture policy for the next four years, the health of our citizens and the health of the economy is at stake,' said John Keeling, SCFBA co-chair. 'We need sustained programmesthat put more fruit and vegetables on Americans' plates, enhance our industry's efforts to fight invasive pests and diseases, and help us to market our crops domestically and globally.'
The letter pointed to investments in research, invasive pest and disease mitigation, foreign market development, nutrition and targeted state-level funding for local initiatives in the 2008 Farm Bill – which it said had translated to job creation, trade xpansion and targeted research, among other things.
Specialty crops actually represent nearly half of all farmgate crop value in North America, making them a critical segment of the US agricultural economy.
'In 2008, Congress recognised for the first time the tremendous contributions specialty crops make to US agriculture and the health of all Americans,' said SCFBA co-chair Mike Stuart, president of the Florida Fruit & Vegetable Association. 'Since then, these programmes have helped develop improved varieties, promote market access and ensure the safety of our products.
'At a time when Americans are being called on to eat more fruits and vegetables, specialty crop producers need these resources to meet the demands of an increasingly health conscious population,' Stuart added.
The specialty crop industry is also urging Congress to pass the 2012 Farm Bill before the current law expires in September. If the current Farm Bill is temporarily extended, several important specialty crop programmes, including the Specialty Crop Research Initiative and the Clean Plant Network will lose funding.
'The resources made available in this bill will go far to help develop better ways to grow, distribute and safeguard nutritious food Americans need for good health,' said SCFBA co-chair Tom Nassif, president and CEO of Western Growers. 'This is not just a bill for or about farmers. The resources invested contribute to a better public health policy that will positively impact and improve the way Americans eat.'
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