Specialty CROP Act of 2026
Key claim: The Specialty CROP Act of 2026 expands USDA’s annual specialty crops trade report to require specific information on foreign barriers and distortions to U.S. specialty crop exports, with mandatory USTR consultation and public availability.
Abstract
(HR7670 · 119th Congress) Specialty Crops Reporting on Opportunities and Promotion Act of 2026 or the Specialty CROP Act of 2026 This bill expands the annual reporting requirements for the Technical Assistance for Specialty Crops program to require the Department of Agriculture (USDA) to provide specific information on the competitiveness of U.S. exports of specialty crops. Specifically, the bill modifies the requirements for a congressionally mandated annual report on U.S. specialty crop trade issues to require USDA to report specific information on acts, policies, and practices of foreign countries that constitute significant barriers to, or distortions of, U.S. exports of specialty crops. Further, USDA must consult with the Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR) on the report. Before preparing the report, USDA, in coordination with the USTR, must seek comments from the public and the Agricultural Technical Advisory Committee for Trade in Fruits and Vegetables. Under the bill, USDA must submit the report to Congress in an unclassified form, but may include a classified annex. The unclassified portion of the report must be publicly available. Latest action (2026-02-25): Referred to the House Committee on Agriculture.
Why this matters
For specialty crop exporters (fruits, vegetables, tree nuts, horticulture), a more detailed and publicly accessible annual barriers report increases transparency about which foreign sanitary, phytosanitary, tariff, and regulatory measures are constraining market access. Mandatory USTR consultation links USDA’s technical assessment more directly to trade enforcement priorities, potentially shaping future negotiations and dispute actions. Effects on importers and consumer prices are indirect and depend on whether identified barriers are subsequently addressed.