Posts By: Tracey Chow
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Ocean Shipping Reform Act Approved by Congress, Ready for President Joe Biden’s Signature
On June 13, the U.S. House passed S. 3580, the Ocean Shipping Reform Act with overwhelming bipartisan support. This bill – which passed earlier this year with bipartisan support in the U.S. Senate – will crack down on unreasonable practices by container shipping lines, bolster U.S. enforcement against uncompetitive carrier practices and improve transparency for ...
From NAFTA to USMCA: What Has Changed and How Will It Affect Agriculture?
Looking back on the 25-year history of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), the data and stories of success are plentiful. In our sector alone, U.S. fruit and vegetable suppliers are exporting nearly triple what was being done pre-NAFTA. That said, NAFTA has long received its fair share of criticism, including from the specialty ...
A Year in Trade: 2019 Highlights & Looking Ahead
This past year, the industry was once again kept on its toes with trade; some commodities were pushed clear back onto their heels. As we reflect on some of the year’s most notable events, we can expect this new decade to start off with significant trade matters being removed, and added, to the industry’s wish ...
International Trade Uncertainty Continues
It is fair to say that 2020 has thus far proceeded in ways no one could have predicted. The issue that is top of mind for the industry is the ongoing coronavirus pandemic and economic fallout. While much of the attention and impact has been domestic-facing, COVID-19 has also thrown international supply chains into disarray. ...
Uncharted Waters: Five Points to Know about the Ongoing Port Crisis
By Tracey Chow, Government Affairs Specialist The COVID-19 pandemic has foisted new challenges onto producers with foreign-bound exports. Since late 2020, the global shipping system has been dealing with skyrocketing demand for cargo containers, extreme port congestion, and higher shipping costs. Many industry veterans have described the conditions as ‘unprecedented,’ while others have…
TRADE PRACTICES: Supply Chain Chaos Causing Quite the Freight
By Matthew Allen, Vice President, State Government Affairs By Tracey Chow, Federal Government Affairs Specialist The Story Problems at the Ports of Los Angeles, Long Beach and Oakland are stacking up, and the transportation and logistics bottleneck continues to get worse. Context please. The Southern California ports account for 40 percent of all shipping containers ...
Trade Takes Center Stage in 2018
By Tracey Chow This year, trade has taken center stage and captured news headlines globally. Given the dramatic upheavals and extremely fluid nature of our international markets and trade partnerships, Western Growers is at the forefront of communicating our members’ needs in an effort to help expand American agricultural exports and remain competitive abroad. Trade ...
Port Crisis, Water Infrastructure and Immigration Among Top Issues During DC Fly-In
Last week, the Executive Committee of the Western Growers Board of Directors met with members of the U.S. Senate and U.S. House of Representatives during the annual D.C. fly-in. The Executive Committee met with nearly 20 senators, representatives and U.S. Department of Agriculture officials over the course of three days. Legislators were from California, Arizona, ...
China Announces New Tariff Increases, Trump Orders Businesses to Pursue Other Markets
Today, the Chinese government announced plans to increase tariffs by 5 to 10 percent on a $75 billion worth of U.S. exports – including virtually every type of agricultural commodity – on September 1, 2019. This increase will be added on top of the 15 percent increase (imposed spring 2018) and 25 percent increase (imposed ...
Nominations Due for USDA Fruit & Vegetable Advisory Committee
USDA is accepting nominations to fill three upcoming vacancies on its Fruit and Vegetable Industry Advisory Committee (FVIAC) next year. The deadline to submit is Thursday, November 21, 2019, with necessary paperwork postmarked by or before this date. First established in 2001, FVIAC provides advice and recommendations to the Secretary of Agriculture on issues of importance ...
U.S. – China Phase One Deal Reached
On Friday, December 13, the White House announced that it reached a phase one deal with China—the most notable step, thus far, toward resolving the nearly two-year trade conflict that has significantly harmed the agriculture industry. While full details and numbers are expected to be released soon, the general overview is that the deal addresses ...
U.S. and Mexico Reach New Tomato Suspension Agreement
On Wednesday August 21, the U.S. Department of Commerce (DOC) announced that it had reached a new suspension agreement with the Mexican tomato industry. Last November, the Florida Tomato Exchange petitioned DOC to terminate the 2013 Suspension Agreement on Fresh Tomatoes, which imposes specific pricing and other conditions on Mexican imports, in exchange for halting ...