29 



and 1995 for specific victims, tropical fruit growers, agriculture, 

 nurserymen, for Typhoon Omar and Hurricane Iniki, and how this 

 cannot be clear in anyone's mind is beyond me. 



Mr. Lewis. Mr. Badger. 



Mr. Badger. I don't see anything different. If you pay a wheat 

 grower for a crop that he was planning on planting, what is the 

 difference from paying a guy prevented from picking oranges be- 

 cause he did not have any trees? 



Mr. Lewis. That is right. I cannot disagree with you. The chair- 

 woman has gone to vote. I will have to go because I have only 4 

 minutes. She will be back before I am. She has probably voted now. 

 If you don't mind holding for a few minutes to answer any ques- 

 tions she may have. 



[Recess taken.] 



Mr. Lewis [assuming chair]. The subcommittee will come to 

 order. There are all kinds of things going on on the floor and on 

 the streets. There are more important people on the streets than 

 you have ever seen lobbying one way or the other for the trade 

 agreement. 



Maybe she got caught up with that. We appreciate your being 

 here. We appreciate your comments. They are all a part of the 

 record. 



We will ask for the next panel to come up. I will ask unanimous 

 consent for Congresswoman Meek, she may submit questions to the 

 USDA at a later date. 



Mr. Biro and other members of the panel, all of your testimony 

 will be made part of the record. 



If you want to summarize, that is perfectly all right with the sub- 

 committee. 



STATEMENT OF RICHARD BIRO, OWNER, FLORIDA EXOTIC 

 FISH SALES, ON BEHALF OF THE AQUACULTURE PRODUC- 

 ERS, SOUTH DADE COUNTY, AND MEMBER, BOARD OF DI- 

 RECTORS, FLORIDA TROPICAL FISH FARMERS ASSOCIATION 



Mr. BlRO. I am Richard Biro, the owner of Florida Exotic Fish 

 Sales in Homestead, Florida, and have been in the ornamental 

 tropical fish business for 22 years. I am on the board of directors 

 of the Florida Tropical Fish Farmers Association, and I have been 

 attending county committee meetings of the ASCS in an advisory 

 capacity related to aquaculture since Hurricane Andrew. 



I appreciate this opportunity to present to the subcommittee 

 some of the problems that aquaculture has faced since the storm 

 and to propose some possible remedies. I would like to describe 

 three problem areas that aquaculture encountered associated with 

 disaster assistance programs offered by the USDA and discuss 

 some possible solutions. 



The USDA offered various programs to its ASCS office in Dade 

 County to agricultural producers. When we in aquaculture came in 

 to apply for the cleanup programs, we were told we were ineligible 

 and could not sign up. We immediately became involved with Sen- 

 ator Bob Graham's office; and after several weeks, we were per- 

 mitted to participate in the cleanup assistance program. A clarifica- 

 tion in the USDA cleanup program defining aquaculture as agri- 

 culture could have prevented this delay. 



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