Protesters this week shut down operations at the Port of Oakland over a new trucking regulation that would limit independent operators. The protesters are not only blocking cargo, but port workers are also refusing to cross truckers’ picket lines.
A prolonged shutdown could have a dramatic impact on U.S. red meat exports and ag exports as a whole, U.S. Meat Export Federation (USMEF) President and CEO Dan Halstrom explains in this USMEF report. Oakland is the third-busiest port on the West Coast and the largest outlet U.S. red meat exports.
Halstrom explains why the Port of Oakland is of particular importance to U.S. red meat exports.
Halstrom explains how the port shutdown forces exporters to lose value by switching to frozen product.
Halstrom explains that the shutdown has an impact on nearly all sectors of U.S. agriculture.
Continued congestion and unreliability at the West Coast ports has already prompted a shift from chilled to more frozen product, which has a longer shelf life but doesn’t carry the premium value of chilled meat. If the Oakland shutdown continues, it could accelerate this trend.
