Senator Rick Scott has expressed his support for the Department of Commerce’s decision to withdraw from and terminate the 2019 Tomato Suspension Agreement. The agreement, which was designed to regulate Mexican tomato imports, has been a point of contention among Florida growers who say it failed to protect them from unfair competition.
The termination follows Senator Scott’s recent communications with Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick. In both a letter and a phone call, Scott highlighted concerns that the agreement allowed an influx of Mexican tomatoes into the U.S. market, undermining domestic producers.
Scott attributed the move to action taken by former President Donald Trump’s administration. He said, “For too long, Joe Biden allowed our markets to be flooded with artificially cheap, Mexican tomatoes grown with child and forced labor, making it hard for our producers to keep up. This is an incredible win for America’s growers and producers. I’ve fought hard to get this done, and after years of the Biden administration refusing to take action and protect our growers and producers, President Trump and Secretary Lutnick are putting Americans first and standing up for Florida’s agriculture industry.”
Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick also commented on the decision: “Mexico remains one of our greatest allies, but for far too long our farmers have been crushed by unfair trade practices that undercut pricing on produce like tomatoes. That ends today. This rule change is in line with President Trump’s trade policies and approach with Mexico.”
The withdrawal marks a shift in U.S. trade policy regarding agricultural imports from Mexico.
