Buchanan calls for Congress to take quick action on citrus relief bill

After Hurricane Irma wiped out as much as 70 percent of Florida’s orange crop, U.S. Rep. Vern Buchanan, R-Longboat Key, called for immediate action in Congress to help struggling citrus farmers recover.

“Florida farmers are facing an emergency,” Buchanan said. “Between Irma and the devastating citrus greening disease, we can’t wait any longer to provide citrus growers with the relief they need.”

Prior to Hurricane Irma, the Florida citrus industry had already experienced a 75 percent drop in production because of citrus greening, an incurable bacterial disease that has infected nearly all of Florida’s commercial citrus groves.

Hurricane Irma had a catastrophic effect on Florida citrus, according to Michael Sparks, executive director of Florida Citrus Mutual. Nearly every grove in the state has been damaged to some degree by the storm, Sparks said.

Buchanan’s Emergency Citrus Disease Response Act passed out of the House by a 400-20 vote one year ago but failed to get traction in the Senate before the session adjourned.

The bill would make it less costly for growers to replace trees damaged by Hurricane Irma or citrus greening. The bill provides tax incentives for farmers who cannot afford to replace damaged trees.

Under current law, growers are allowed an immediate deduction for the cost of replanting trees, but the farmer must bear the full cost. Buchanan’s proposal would allow struggling farmers to use this deduction even if they bring in investors to raise capital for replanting costs, as long as the grower continues to own a major stake in the grove.

“This bill will go a long way toward protecting the livelihoods of the 62,000 hard-working Floridians in our signature citrus industry,” Buchanan said.

Experts estimate a 50 to 70 percent crop loss in south Florida from Hurricane Irma. Florida growers are seeing up to 90 percent losses in some places.

Shannon Stepp, executive director of the Florida Department of Citrus, said, “Before Hurricane Irma, there was a good chance we would have more than 75 million boxes of oranges on the trees this season; we now have much less.”

This story was originally published September 25, 2017 at 11:09 AM with the headline "Buchanan calls for Congress to take quick action on citrus relief bill."