Agricultural Groups Send Letter To President Biden Asking Him To Intervene In Case Of A Strike At Ports

Published online: Sep 28, 2024 News
Viewed 277 time(s)

Following is a letter more than 50 ag commodity groups wrote and signed and sent to President Joe Biden, asking him to intervene in case of a strike by port workers on the East Coast and Gulf Coast.

September 25, 2024

The President

The White House

Washington, DC 20500

 

Dear Mr. President:

Our members represent a broad collection of the agricultural and food supply chains that would be negatively impacted if the International Longshoremen’s Association and the United States Maritime Alliance are unable to reach an agreement before the labor agreement expires on September 30th.

If port operations are stopped, the impact on the ag supply chain will quickly reverberate throughout agriculture and not only slow or shutdown operations, but also potentially lower farmgate prices. To prevent a disruption to port operations along the East and Gulf Coasts, we request for your administration to act before a lockout or strike occurs to prevent damage to U.S. agriculture and the economy.

Approximately 40 percent of U.S. containerized agricultural exports move through East and Gulf Coast ports, and we believe the time has come for the U.S. government to intervene and ensure port operations do not stop.

We thank you for your responsiveness to this imminent threat to the North American supply chains.

Sincerely,

Agricultural and Food Transporters Conference

Agricultural Retailers Association

Agriculture Transportation Coalition – AgTC

Amcot

American Chemistry Council

American Cotton Shippers Association

American Farm Bureau Federation

American Feed Industry Association

AmericanHort

American Malting Barley Association

American Pulse Association

American Sheep Industry Association

American Soybean Association

California Walnut Commission

Consumer Brands Association

Corn Refiners Association

Cotton Growers Warehouse Association

Forest Resources Association

Growth Energy

Hardwood Federation

International Dairy Foods Association

International Fresh Produce Association

Meat Institute

National Aquaculture Association

National Association of Wheat Growers

National Cattlemen’s Beef Association

National Chicken Council

National Christmas Tree Association

National Corn Growers Association

National Cotton Council

National Council of Farmer Cooperatives

National Grain and Feed Association

National Milk Producers Federation

National Oilseed Processors Association

National Pork Producers Council

National Turkey Federation

North American Renderers Association

Pet Food Institute

Renewable Fuels Association

SNAC International

Soy Transportation Coalition

Specialty Soya and Grain Alliance

The Fertilizer Institute

Turfgrass Producers International

USA Dry Pea & Lentil Council

USA Poultry & Egg Export Council

USA Rice

U.S. Dairy Export Council

US Dry Bean Council

U.S. Grains Council

U.S. Meat Export Federation

U.S. Pea & Lentil Trade Association

U.S. Poultry & Egg Association

US Rice Producers Association

US Wheat Associates

Western Growers

CC: The Honorable Tom Vilsack, Secretary, Department of Agriculture

The Honorable Julie Su, Acting Secretary, Department of Labor

The Honorable Pete Buttigieg, Secretary, Department of Transportation