Carlos Curbelo
U.S. Rep. Carlos Curbelo (R-FL) urged House appropriators to support funding for Florida fruit farmers who have been impacted by a quarantine stemming from an outbreak of fruit flies.
Oriental fruit flies, a pest that can destroy more than 430 types of fruits and vegetables, were discovered in South Miami-Dade County in August 2015. As a result, state and federal officials quarantined produce grown in the region through February 2016.
In a letter to members of the House Appropriations Committee, Curbelo and U.S. Rep. Tom Rooney (R-FL) called for support of language included in the fiscal year 2017 House Agriculture Appropriations Committee report to help Florida fruit farmers.
“While the quarantine was absolutely necessary to complete eradication of the fly, it has had a devastating effect on the farmers located in the designated areas,” the letter states. “They were no longer able to bring their crops to market or refrained from planting altogether last season.”
To address hardship caused by the quarantine, Curbelo, Rooney and other Florida lawmakers requested language to urge the Farm Service Agency to make funds available to those farmers who were negatively impacted by the quarantine.