Washington, D.C. — U.S. Senator Jon Ossoff is pushing the Trump Administration to protect Georgia’s specialty crop growers from unfair imports from Mexico.
Sen. Ossoff is urging United States Trade Representative (USTR) Ambassador Jamieson Greer to address unfair labor and environmental practices in Mexican agriculture that force Georgia growers into unfair competition during this year’s U.S. Mexico Canada Agreement (USMCA) Review.
A 2024 report from the University of Georgia observed “the fruits and vegetables industries face an additional challenge from cheaper imports from Mexico and South American countries produced during Georgia’s growing seasons.”
Additionally, agricultural wage rates in the United States are “five times to 14 times the average hourly agricultural wage in Mexico.”
“Deplorable labor and environmental practices in Mexican agriculture exploit workers, damage the environment, risk food safety, and force conscientious American growers into unfair competition. I urge you to take all possible actions to address this issue during USMCA’s review to ensure that growers in Georgia and across the country can compete fairly in the global market,” Sen. Ossoff wrote.
Sen. Ossoff continues working to support Georgia agriculture.
Last month, Sen. Ossoff introduced the Farm Disaster Tax Cut Act to provide eligible farmers with a tax cut after natural disasters, revenue losses, or pest outbreaks.
In March, Sens. Ossoff and Ashley Moody (R-FL), alongside Rev. Raphael Warnock and Rick Scott (R-FL), introducedthe bipartisan Land Grant Research Prioritization Act of 2026 to improve research and development for advanced agricultural technologies, including mechanization technology.
Also in March, Sens. Ossoff and Rev. Warnock announced more than $531 million in Hurricane Helene Federal relief for Georgia’s farmers after Sen. Ossoff successfully fought to pass a bipartisan disaster relief package in December 2024 that included $21 billion in agricultural disaster funding to help Georgia farmers recovering from the disastrous impacts of Hurricane Helene and farmers nationwide impacted by natural disasters.
Earlier this year, Sen. Ossoff cosponsored the bipartisan Buying American Cotton Act of 2025 to incentivize retailers to sell products made with U.S. cotton to boost demand for cotton grown in the U.S., becoming the first Senate Democrat to back the bill.
In November 2025, Sen. Ossoff cosponsored the bipartisan Securing American Agriculture Act to decrease dependence on China for agricultural imports.
In September 2025, Sen. Ossoff joined lawmakers across the aisle to urge the United States Trade Representative to prioritize American pecan producers in ongoing trade negotiations with India.
In August 2025, Sen. Ossoff cosponsored the bipartisan United States Citrus Protection Act alongside Sen. Rick Scott (R-FL) to support and protect Georgia’s citrus growers by banning imports of fresh citrus from China, which can often undercut domestic citrus producers and hurt the rapidly growing citrus industry in Georgia.
In 2024, Sen. Ossoff and Congressman Sanford D. Bishop, Jr. (GA-02) introduced the Protecting Our Produce Act to boost resources and support for Georgia specialty crop growers facing unfairly priced imports.
Click here to read Sen. Ossoff’s inquiry.
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