Section 301 Comments Filed: Advocating for Exemptions on Critical Horticultural Inputs
On Wednesday, April 15, AmericanHort submitted comments to the United States Trade Representative’s office in response to the ongoing Section 301 investigation focused on forced labor enforcement in global supply chains. While strongly supporting efforts to eliminate forced labor, the industry emphasized the need for a targeted, risk-based approach.
Specifically, AmericanHort highlighted that many horticultural inputs, such as propagative plant material, seeds, and key production supplies, are essential to U.S. production and are not available domestically at scale. As a result, the association urged the Administration to ensure these critical inputs are exempt from any future trade actions, noting that broad tariffs would increase costs for U.S. growers without advancing the underlying policy goals.