U.S. blueberry growers say the flood of foreign berries impacts their livelihoods.

SALEM — The Oregon Blueberry Commission has joined in an effort to slow a dramatic increase in U.S. blueberry imports from southern countries.

The commission voted Monday, Sept. 21, to join blueberry grower groups in Florida, Georgia and Michigan in petitioning the U.S. International Trade Commission to investigate whether the recent influx of U.S. blueberry imports from Chile, Peru and Mexico pose a threat to the domestic blueberry industry.

Blueberry commissions in Washington and California also were looking at the issue and could decide this week to join the effort.

The blueberry industry has asked the International Trade Commission to investigate the dramatic increase in foreign blueberry imports under Section 201 of the Trade Act of 1974, a section that provides only temporary remedies and is less restrictive than Section 301, which requires an industry show a foreign country is dumping product into the U.S. at below market prices before a remedy is considered.

Under Section 201, an industry must show only that imports from foreign competition have increased at such a dramatic rate as to pose a threat to the domestic industry.

The Oregon commission voted to put $50,000 toward the effort. Blueberry growers in Michigan have weighed in with a voluntary assessment that is expected to generate at least $400,000 toward the effort. Commissions in Georgia and Florida also are in for several hundreds of thousands of dollars, according to Bryan Ostlund, administrator of the Oregon Blueberry Commission.

While the investigation will look at U.S. imports from all countries, Ostlund said the main culprits in the import increases to the U.S. market in recent years have been Chile, Peru and Mexico.

“Canada has increased its U.S. imports as well,” Ostlund said, “but not to the degree as the other countries.” Canadian imports remain a concern to U.S. growers, especially those in Oregon and Washington, Ostlund said.

Section 201 calls for the Trade Commission to recommend to President Trump that action be taken to address the situation if the commission determines import quantities have increased to the degree that they pose a threat to the domestic blueberry industry. Trump then has wide discretion on the remedy he can take to address the issue, including imposing tariffs or quotas.

The remedies are limited to a maximum of four years but can be extended, according to the section.

The investigation is being driven largely by Florida and Georgia growers, who are in more direct competition with the southern countries than Northwest producers, given their fresh-market seasons are more closely aligned with Chile, Peru and Mexico than is the Northwest season.

Ostlund said the Oregon commission will continue to monitor the situation and could come in with more funding as the issue progresses. Most of the funds, he noted, are used for attorneys in Washington, D.C., and economic studies to help argue the industry’s case.

The industry hopes to generate between $1.5 million and $2 million to fund its effort.