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
