Ocean Shipping Reform Act Becomes Law

With your Southeast Regional Ag News, I am Haylie Shipp. This is the Ag Information Network.

Well one thing that we have a lot of here in the Southeast is ocean access. It’s been a little bit trickier here since the pandemic and supply issues have taken hold, but we do have a new piece of legislation that’s been signed into law by President Joe Biden that aims to cure some of what ails us. It is the “Ocean Shipping Reform Act.” Zippy Duvall is the President of the American Farm Bureau Federation…

“Now that it's law, it will provide a new oversight and enforcement authority through the Federal Maritime Commission, expanding the opportunities for our shippers to solve conflicts with the ocean carriers and to increase transparency and accountability among those ocean carriers.”

Duvall says that the ongoing supply chain issues and record high shipping costs have limited agriculture exports at a time when trading partners need the U.S. more than ever…

“We are ready to meet the demands of American grown products here at home and abroad, but it requires a well-functioning supply chain. Limiting trade also negatively affects our farmers, it affects our ability to get much needed supplies like fertilizer, which will ultimately drive up the cost of growing food for American families. Farmers have already lost up to $25 billion of agricultural exports this year because of the lack of access to export containers and record shipping costs, and harmful surcharges.”

Duvall got to be part of the signing ceremony last week at the White House.