News

Shipping troubles remain after agreement

Although an agreement was reached in the West Coast port labor dispute late last week, troubles remain for agriculture and ALL products trying to reach their destinations.

Bill Westman with the North American Meat Institute says time is running out, “We understand that Oakland, for instance, would take 45 days to clear what’s been stacked up there.”

Dermot Hayes, an economist with Iowa State University, says there is the very real possibility of losing the Asian market for chilled U.S. beef and pork products, “Countries like Japan that have allowed themselves to become dependent on us are losing their faith in our ability to provide our product.”

Hayes tells Brownfield that history shows how harmful market disruptions can be, “When Russia invaded Afghanistan and we refused to sell soybeans to Russia we ruined our reputation as a reliable supplier and people keep bringing that up 20, 30 years after the event.”

The L.A. Times reports movement in western harbors on Saturday. Few details are available about the agreement.