[Congressional Record Volume 147, Number 43 (Wednesday, March 28, 2001)]
[House]
[Page H1278]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




 H.R. 1249, PROVIDING ASSISTANCE TO FARMERS COPING WITH CROP DISEASES 
                              AND VIRUSES

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentlewoman from Hawaii (Mrs. Mink) is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Mrs. MINK of Hawaii. Mr. Speaker, I recently introduced H.R. 1249, to 
ensure that farmers who suffer crop losses due to plant viruses and 
plant diseases are eligible for crop insurance and noninsured crop 
assistance programs and that agricultural producers who suffer such 
losses are eligible for emergency loans.
  Pandemics of plant viruses and diseases regularly destroy the crops 
of entire farms and often the crops of entire geographic areas. A 
single plant virus or disease outbreak can send farms into bankruptcy; 
often, farmers are left without any means of recovering. Agriculture 
producers can qualify for emergency loans when adverse weather 
conditions and other natural phenomena damage cause farm property 
damage or production losses, but, under current law, crop viruses and 
diseases are not considered ``natural disasters'' and thus are not 
eligible for these types of loans.
  For example, in Hawaii in 1999, the State ordered the eradication of 
all banana plants on the entire island of Kauai and in a 10 square-mile 
area of the island of Hawaii in an effort to eradicate the banana 
``bunchy top'' virus. A court order required compliance, and farmers 
were ordered to destroy their entire farms and livelihood without any 
compensation. These farmers did not qualify for emergency loans or 
disaster assistance, and many were left with no other option but to 
sell their farms.
  Today, Hawaii's papaya industry is faced with another outbreak of the 
ringspot virus. The only way to get rid of this virus is to destroy 
diseased plants, but farmers are reluctant to do so because of the 
financial loss involved. As a result, the disease spreads, with 
disastrous consequences to neighboring farmers and the rural economy.
  The survival of our nation's farmers is largely dependent upon the 
unpredictable whims of mother nature. We provide our farmers with 
assistance when adversely affected by severe weather, but that is not 
enough. Emergency loans and disaster assistance must be made available 
to farmers for crops suffering from calamitous plant viruses and 
diseases.
  H.R. 1249 would enable farmers to qualify for crop insurance 
programs, noninsured assistance programs, and low-interest emergency 
loans when devastated by crop losses due to plant viruses and diseases.
  I invite my colleagues to cosponsor this worthy legislation, and I 
urge immediate consideration of H.R. 1249 in the House.

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