Specialty Crops Competitiveness Act of 2004

Summary

Specialty Crops Competitiveness Act of 2004 - Defines "specialty crop" as each U.S. agricultural crop other than wheat, feed grains, oilseeds, cotton, rice, peanuts, sugar, and tobacco. Amends the Agricultural Adjustment Act to provide for marketing order specialty crop food safety programs. Amends the Farm Security and Rural Investment Act of 2002 to: (1) increase assistance for the tree assistance program; (2) provide for increased fruit, vegetable, and specialty crop purchases; and (3) increase and extend specialty crop technical assistance. Authorizes appropriations for maintenance of the Agricultural Marketing Service inspection training center in Fredericksburg, Virginia. Makes grants to enhance specialty crop competitiveness. Amends the Consolidated Farm and Rural Development Act to obligate funds for specialty crop operating loans. Provides for: (1) the study of the extent to which U.S. specialty crops have or have not benefited from any reductions of foreign trade barriers; and (2) a foreign market access strategy plan based on such study. Establishes a division in the Department of Agriculture to process petitions for reducing sanitary and phytosanitary export barriers and an office to develop and protect intellectual property rights in plants and plant materials. Amends Federal patent law to define "essentially derived plant." Provides for specified additional research initiatives. Establishes a fund to support emergency eradication and research activities. Provides for independent scientific advice and peer review with regard to specialty crop import and export requests. Amends the Food Security Act of 1985 to remove the income limitation from the environmental quality incentives program. Addresses the development of voluntary sustainable practices guidelines for producers and processors of specialty crops.

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3 official files

• Introduced in Senate (text)

  Introduced in Senate · EN · 6 October 2004

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• Introduced in Senate (PDF)

  Introduced in Senate · EN · 6 October 2004

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• Introduced in Senate

  summary · EN · 6 October 2004

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