Workers at ports from Boston to Houston are on the picket line for the third day now, sending a wave of uncertainty through the ag industry. It is having a big impact on ag container shipping, but the meat industry also has some big concerns.
The U.S. Meat Export Federation warns the affected ports brought in $3 billion worth of red meat exports since the start of the year, which is around $100 million each week. Analysts warn that each day workers remain on strike, there will be days of backlogs when it is over.
The Soy Transportation Coalition works closely with the meat industry, and they are watching the situation carefully.
“Meat exports occur in refrigerated containers, as we know, they are perishable. They don’t have an infinite shelf life. And yeah, the domestic livestock industry is our #1 customer, and you can’t have a detrimental impact on the U.S. livestock industry without having a detrimental impact on soybean farmers. So this is something that’s a big concern for us as the strike continues to extend into the future,” said Mike Steenhoek.
