Fairness for growers is food security for America

Food security begins at home. That’s why the ongoing review of the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement is such an important moment for American agriculture, and for our country. During this review, the United States faces a clear choice: protect our ability to grow our own food or continue down a path of greater dependence on foreign food supplies, at the expense of our food security, our supply chains and Americans’ confidence in what’s on their plate.

As vice chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee, I helped negotiate the agreement back in 2019 as the top Republican on the Trade Subcommittee, and even then, I pushed for accommodations for our seasonal growers. Today, the stakes for Florida are higher than ever. Agriculture is a cornerstone of our state’s economy, and the outcome of this review will help determine whether our Florida growers can keep producing the fruits and vegetables our country depends on.

For more than two decades, Mexican shippers have squeezed Florida farmers out of their own market by flooding it with low-priced produce during Florida’s own growing season. According to an October 2025 report from the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, Florida’s share of the fruit and vegetable market has fallen by nearly 50 percent over the last two decades, while Mexico’s share has surged by more than 200 percent.

Bell peppers, cucumbers, squash, blueberries — entire sectors of Florida agriculture have taken steep losses in market share and revenue, even as consumer demand keeps growing. Multi-generational Florida farms, family operations that have fed this country for generations, are being forced to shut down.

Since the trade agreement with Mexico and Canada took effect, the volume of these disruptive imports has only accelerated, jumping from $14 billion in 2020 to roughly $19 billion today. That surge has widened our already large agricultural trade deficit with Mexico and pushed more Florida growers to the breaking point.

The Trump administration recognizes this problem. Unchecked seasonal import volumes from Mexico are putting Florida agriculture at risk, and the administration is right to make finding a solution a priority in this review of teh agreement.

The solution Florida’s industry has put forward is pragmatic, measured and long overdue: seasonal, product-specific tariff-rate quotas on Mexican produce during Florida’s marketing season. Such quotas are a well-established, targeted trade tool already used across American agriculture. They strike the right balance, keeping trade flowing while preventing the seasonal surges that undercut a stable domestic supply. Any new agreement with Mexico should include this approach so we don’t further compromise Florida’s ability to grow food at home.

Florida is not alone. Fruit and vegetable growers well beyond our state are facing the same pressures as import volumes surge, and they have joined Florida in calling for a real solution. We agree: our trade agreements should never come at the expense of American agriculture’s survival.

Earlier this year, I authored a bipartisan letter to President Trump , alongside Sen. Ashley Moody (R-Fla.) and members of the Florida delegation, urging his administration to address the harm caused by these unchecked seasonal import surges. That call is even more urgent today.

At current rates, we risk permanently losing production capacity in key fruit and vegetable sectors. Once our farms, our infrastructure and generations of agricultural know-how are gone in favor of foreign production, they may never come back.

This review of the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement gives our country a real opportunity to restore fairness for our seasonal produce growers, strengthen our food security and build a food system Americans can rely on and trust. For the sake of Florida’s growers and for a food supply this country can always count on, now is the time to act.

Vern Buchanan represents Florida’s 16th District in the U.S. House of representatives and serves as vice chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee.