While U.S. pork and beef exports have achieved impressive volumes in 2021, port congestion and other shipping obstacles continue to frustrate exporters. Travis Arp, U.S. Meat Export Federation (USMEF) senior director of export services, reports in the audio clip below that cargo backlogs are especially problematic on the West Coast, leading some exporters to seek alternative routes even when shipping to Asian markets.
As this situation intensifies, it is getting more attention in Washington, D.C. In the House of Representatives, Reps. John Garamendi (D-Calif.) and Dusty Johnson (R-S.D.) recently introduced the Ocean Shipping Reform Act of 2021, which is aimed at reforming ocean shipping practices such as unreasonable detention and demurrage charges and carriers’ treatment of export cargo bookings. The full text of the legislation is available online and the bill is summarized in this press release. The Federal Maritime Commission has also launched an inquiry into ocean carriers’ congestion-related surcharges.
