NORTHWEST HORTICULTURAL COUNCIL

Agriculture: Support for passage of a skinny Farm Bill (no bill number) that includes revising a match requirement in the Specialty Crop Research Initiative, establishing a new process for the National Organic Program to solicit stakeholder input on organic policy priorities, crop insurance revisions, and ensuring that funds provided in H.R. 1 are specifically allocated to the Market Access Program. Support an economic assistance package for specialty crop growers from USDA or Congress. Solicitation of Congressional support for a USDA bonus purchase of fresh winter pears. Solicit information and advocate for funding from the USDA Agricultural Research Service for a Little Cherry Disease area-wide project. Pursue policy solutions for heavy metals in produce Pursue policy solutions to reduce audit fatigue for produce growers.

Budget/Appropriations: Support for riders to the Labor-Health and Human Services appropriations bill that address access and affordability of the H-2A program.

Food Safety: Support for FDA approaching heavy metal policy development and enforcement actions in a transparent manner that recognizes that heavy metals are naturally occurring in the environment and does not discourage consumption of healthful foods. Support for increasing funding for food safety education and outreach activities Support for enhancing FDA inspections for imported produce from sources tied to foodborne illness outbreaks.

Labor: Advocating for regulatory reform of the H-2A program to address cost (Adverse Effect Wage Rate, prevailing wage rate, housing requirements) and making the program easier and more efficient to use. Support the development of legislation that reforms the H-2A program to make the program affordable and accessible for growers. (No bill number.) Advocate for deeming H-2A process as an essential activity that would continue during a government shutdown. Advocate for DHS to work with H-2A employers to allow H-2A workers from Jamaica flexibility on their return date when a hurricane hit the country and shut down one of the major airports.

Request Congress to advocate with Administration to prioritize apple and cherry trade priorities for enhancing foreign market access.