Florida senators Rubio and Scott ask USDA to stop new rule allowing citrus imports from China

Voicing support for the state’s struggling citrus industry, Florida Republicans and Democrats are opposing a federal decision to allow the importation of certain fruits from China.

U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio and U.S. Sen. Rick Scott on Tuesday sent a letter to U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue asking him to reverse a decision to let five varieties of citrus fruits be imported from China.

“In recent years, Florida’s citrus growers have suffered the impacts of hurricanes, unfairly priced imports, and from citrus greening, a disease which originated in China, and spread to the U.S. from imported citrus,” the Republican senators wrote. “Risking the introduction of invasive species and diseases into the U.S. is irresponsible, especially given our knowledge of how citrus greening previously entered our country by imported citrus and is spread by an invasive pest species.”

Florida’s citrus industry has been struggling for more than a decade in large part because of citrus greening, which is fatal to fruit.

Read more: https://www.orlandoweekly.com/Blogs/archives/2020/04/30/florida-senators-rubio-and-scott-ask-usda-to-stop-new-rule-allowing-citrus-imports-from-china