A joint House of Representatives and Senate agricultural committee agreed to a compromise spending bill for the next financial year which will give $75m in loss assistance to the nation's apple growers. This reduces by half aid promised by the House of Representatives.

'America's financially parched apple growers are in desperate need of a full glass of debt quenching assistance from Congress, having spent the last five years crawling on their hands and knees through an economic wasteland,' said Kraig Naasz, president and ceo of US apple trade association USApple. 'While no one will refuse this much needed aid, it's somewhat discouraging to be handed only half of the assistance previously promised to our nation's apple growers.' The committee's report must now be approved by both the full House of Representatives and the Senate before being presented to the president for signature.

'Apple growers have suffered devastating losses over the past five years,' said Naasz, 'including an estimated $500m during the last year alone. While this assistance will help some struggling apple growers make ends meet, it falls short of the amount needed to shield still others from financial ruin.' USApple calculates that the nation's producers have suffered losses of $1.5bn over the past five years, based on US department of agriculture statistics. Apple juice concentrate dumping, food retail consolidation, regulatory costs and subsidies in competing countries are all blamed. The losses contribute to the worst economic conditions for growers in 70 years.

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