McLean, Va. – The House Appropriations Committee today approved legislation providing $150 million to compensate U.S. apple growers for devastating market losses sustained during the 2000 crop year.

Reps. Maurice Hinchey (D-N.Y.), John Sweeney (R-N.Y.) and James Walsh (R-N.Y) sponsored the apple market loss assistance amendment to the fiscal 2002 agriculture appropriations bill, which was overwhelmingly adopted with strong bipartisan support. Ten Republicans and one independent joined all the committee’s Democrats in support of the apple grower assistance amendment.

“We are extremely grateful to our allies in Congress for their support of America’s apple growers,” said U.S. Apple Association President and CEO Kraig R. Naasz, whose group is spearheading the drive in Congress to secure assistance for the nation’s apple growers. “We cleared an important hurdle today in our race to save the family farms of countless apple growers across our country.”

U.S. apple growers have sustained losses of $1.5 billion over the past five years, including an estimated $500 million during the past year alone, according to U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) statistics. Unfairly priced imports, excessive regulatory costs, stagnant domestic consumption, food retail consolidation, subsidized foreign competition, diminished exports and global overproduction have all contributed to the economic plight of America’s apple growers.

The legislation adopted today by the House Appropriations Committee provides $150 million to reimburse apple growers for a portion of the losses they sustained in marketing the 2000 apple crop, by authorizing a pro-rata payment on each producer’s total production of up to 20 million pounds.

Reps. Hinchey, Sweeney, Walsh, Doc Hastings (R-Wash.) and Tom Reynolds (R-N.Y.) just yesterday introduced the Apple Market Loss Assistance Act in the House of Representatives, while Sens. Carl Levin (D-Mich.), Olympia Snowe (R-Maine), Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.), Patty Murray (D-Wash.), Charles Schumer (D-N.Y) and Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich.) sponsored companion legislation in the Senate.

“We look forward to working with our friends in the House of Representatives to secure final approval of this much-needed assistance for our nation’s apple growers,” said Naasz. “We also have every confidence in the ability of our allies in the Senate to garner an equally impressive show of support for America’s apple producers.”

The House of Representatives is expected to consider the agriculture appropriations bill before the August congressional recess, while the Senate Appropriations Committee is expected to consider their version of the bill later this month or early next month.

The U.S. Apple Association (USApple) is the national trade association representing all segments of the apple industry. Members include 40 state apple associations representing 9,000 apple growers throughout the country, as well as nearly 500 individual firms involved in the apple business. USApple’s mission is to provide the means for all segments of the U.S. apple industry to join in appropriate collective efforts to profitably produce and market apples and apple products.