TOP TEN ISSUES
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In
January 2009, the California Grape & Tree Fruit
League’s Board of Directors ranked the top issues in
order of priority for the upcoming year. Here’s this
year’s list, along with brief explanations.
[1]
Immigration Reform/AgJOBS
This issue continues to rank at the top for League
members who rely on labor intensive practices to be
able to bring high quality fruit to market. It is
clear that there is concern in the ag industry, with
the judicial outcome pending on the Department of
Homeland Security’s no-match rule as to whether the
regulation can be enforced, as well as the need to
implement AgJOBS legislation.
[2]
Water Supply Issues
Media headlines are becoming more widespread about
the plight of water availability which is the result
of a statewide drought (both natural and
regulatory), inadequate aboveground water storage
and the state’s growing demand for water. Growers
have voiced their concerns for years about this
issue and now, action is vital in preserving what
agricultural land remains in the state.
[3]
Labor Cost/Minimum Wage
Labor continues to rank as the highest variable cost
for League members and ranges from 50 percent to 70
percent of production costs. The second round of
increases to the California minimum wage that took
effect last year while the price paid for fruit has
hit a plateau or declined.
[4]
Labor Laws and
Regulations/OSHA/ALRB
Year after year, organized labor pushes legislative
efforts to sidestep the secret ballot process in
unionization attempts. The Leaguecontinues to lead
the fight to defeat card check legislative efforts,
and protect the workplace and employees against
narrow-sighted interest group attempts to strengthen
political power. The League is also at the forefront
in working with the regulatory community on adapting
policies and procedures affecting heat injury and
illness prevention.
[5]
Food Safety Issues
Despite the “clean” food safety record among fresh
grape and tree fruit commodities, League members
continue to engage the issue to ensure that their
commodities arrive in the hands of the consumer with
no food safety concerns. The League remains set that
any regulatory requirements should be enacted at the
federal level and not the state level. Regulations
should apply to both domestic and imported products
and be risk-based as well as commodity specific.
[6]
Invasive Pest Issues/
Quarantines
The potential impact that a quarantine pest would
have on the San Joaquin Valley is unsettling because
the ability to ship fruit outside of the region
could be severely limited. The League continued to
work on the frontlines of current infestations to
ensure that state and federal authorities have the
tools and resources to combat invasive species.
[7]
Air Quality Regulations
Air quality regulations continue to affect all
agricultural operations in the state, and
particularly in the San Joaquin Valley where
federally-mandated requirements place overly
burdensome requirements on the region’s operators.
The League works diligently at the regional, state
and federal levels to ensure that sound science is
used when such regulations are promulgated.
[8]
Health Care Costs/ Mandates
The rising cost of health care coupled with
political pressure for a government managed
universal system may potentially become a
subsidization burden for California’s business
community in the already costly state.
[9]
Water Quality Regulations
The regional water quality control board staff is in
the process of moving the current Irrigated Lands
Regulatory Program into a long-term planning phase
and are seeks to add the responsibility of
groundwater regulation into the surface water
parameters of the program. The League will continue
to work with the water board to ensure that our
members’ interests are represented and scientific
data derived from similar conditions is used when
exploring a potential monitoring program.
[10]
Energy Costs
Last year, the industry experienced an unprecedented
series of spikes in energy costs as the energy
markets grew unstable due to fluctuating demand and
trading instability. Although energy costs have
decreased in 2009, there remains concern that
another rise in costs compounded with the economic
slowdown could have a crippling effect on the
movement of agricultural goods.
2008 TOP TEN ISSUES
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California Grape & Tree Fruit League
978 W. Alluvial, Suite 107, Fresno, CA 93711 | Phone 559.226.6330 Fax 559.222.8326
© 2009 California Grape & Tree Fruit League