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Meat exporters already reacting to potential port strike

An export group leader says the potential work stoppage at U.S. ports in mid-January is already affecting markets.

Joe Schuele with the U.S. Meat Export Federation tells Brownfield the industry has known about the January 15th, 2025 port worker contract deadline for several months, and he says ports and terminal operators are preparing for a possible strike. “For example, they are likely to stop accepting refrigerated cargo several days before the strike date.”

Schuele says exporters are also making continency plans now. “If you’ve got frozen product that is scheduled to go out of those ports in mid-January and you want to re-route it to the west coast, you really have to make plans for that right now. You’re not just going to assume that you have space available on a vessel.”

Schuele says keeping the ports open is vital for the entire agricultural economy.  For beef and pork exports alone, Schuele says a port shutdown would impact more than 100-million dollars’ worth of sales every week.

Schuele says gulf coast and east coast longshoremen reached a tentative 62% wage increase in October, but that’s contingent on resolving the entire contract and so far, there is no agreement on the future use of automation technology in ports.

Audio: Joe Schuele with the U.S. Meat Export Federation discusses the potential work stoppage at eastern and gulf coast ports with Brownfield’s Larry Lee

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