FLORIDA FARMERS INC.
“ A STRUGGLE FOR SURVIVAL”

"Commerce among nations should be fair and equitable"
-Benjamin Franklin

LEGISLATION:

Chairman Paul DiMare presenting award of appreciation to U.S. Representative Mary Bono R-CA, sponsor of the Produce Consumer's Right to Know Act

Florida Farmers Inc. supports legislation that will allow our growers to compete while at the same time inform American consumers about where products are made, promote fair trade, and prohibit child labor abuses by stopping the importation of produce harvested with child labor.

We have joined with many other organizations to meet these goals. We support the following legislation which are either pending before Congress or will be soon introduced:

1. The Produce Consumers Right to Know Act. This legislation requires that all produce be labeled as to its country of origin (Became Law May 2002)

Jim Barfield(L) and J. Luis Rodriguez(R) with President George W. Bush

3. Child Labor Elimination Act. This legislation prohibits importation of products which have been made, produced or harvested by children

4. Fast Track Accountability Act. Includes a provision for workers rights and environmental standards in any trade agreement entered into future trade negotiating authority.

Commissioner Charles Bronson Receiving Commemorative Inaugural Plate (2000) from Chairman DiMare

5. NAFTA Accountability. Makes continued participation in NAFTA conditional upon improvements in Mexican wages, environmental and health and safety policies.

Governor Jeb Bush(L) presenting Chairman Paul DiMare(R) with award of appreciation

6. The Insular Fair Wage and Human Rights Act. Requires Commonwealth of Mariana Islands to observe minimum wage laws in order to use "Made in the USA" logo on its products.

7. Continued Dumping and Subsidy Offset Bill (S.61 and H.R. 842)
This legislation provides for countervailing duties collected during a dumping case be distributed to the injured domestic producers as long as they continue to invest in their operations (Became Law December 2000)

8. FARM BILL SIGNED BY PRESIDENT BUSH

FLORIDA FARMERS APPLAUD PRESIDENT'S ACTION

Washington DC. President Bush has signed the farm bill into law. The farm bill includes a national country-of-origin labeling provision, modeled on a 1979 Florida law and long sought by winter vegetable growers and consumer groups. It requires that, effective September 2004, all imported fruits, vegetables, peanuts, meats and fish be labeled with the country of origin on grocery store shelves.

J. Luis Rodriguez, trade advisor to Florida Farmers, Inc. and Florida Co-chair of Farmers and Ranchers for Bush 2000, attended the early morning signing ceremony at the White House. Florida Farmers, Inc., an advocacy group of Florida winter vegetable farmers, led the coalition of over 200 grassroots farm organizations, consumer and public interest groups across the nation to win this hard-fought issue.

"While much of the farm bill is oriented toward agribusiness sectors producing for export, Florida vegetable farmers are focused on providing a safe, quality product to the American consumer. In the present free trade environment, the national labeling law will help Florida winter vegetable farmers and all farmers of America compete with foreign products which may not meet the environmental and labor standards of U.S. growers," according to Rodriguez, who initially recommended the Florida law which has been in force and appreciated by consumers since 1979.

Based on Florida's experience, Senator Bob Graham and others have worked for a national labeling law, but in past years the House of Representatives has blocked the measure. This year Congresswoman Mary Bono of California in a late night maneuver succeeded in passing a floor amendment to the farm bill. In 1998 she took up the cause of country-of-origin labeling that her late husband Sonny Bono had championed as a California congressman. The House vote on the Bono amendment was 296-121, thanks to a bipartisan group of consumer advocates, including most every woman in Congress.

Florida Farmers, Inc. commended Governor Jeb Bush and Florida Agriculture Commissioner Charles Bronson for their efforts working with the Florida congressional delegation in the last few days of the farm bill conference to keep country-of-origin labeling in the final conference report.

"We applaud the President's action today. Our grassroots effort has overcome the well-financed corporate food chain lobby to win the right to know and choose the place of origin of our food." said Paul DiMare of Homestead, Chairman of FFI. "Country-of-origin labeling helps American consumers and those American farmers who provide food for American consumers."

Governor Bush with South Florida Farmers at FFI Event

Governor Jeb Bush, Commissioner Charles Bronson with Josh Rodriguez at FFI Reception

Commissioner Bronson with South Florida Farmers

Paul DiMare and Swanee Presenting Governor Bush with Plaque of Appreciation