The American Cotton Shippers Association, along with over 260 local, state, and federal trade associations, signed onto a letter urging the International Longshoremen’s Association (ILA) and the United States Maritime Alliance (USMX) to resume contract negotiations.
Author: Caroline Berry
CBP Update Isotopic Testing Guidance
Last week, the Customs Border Protection (CBP) released updated guidance on isotopic testing, as the agency seeks to find more efficient mechanisms for determining the origin of cotton within U.S. textile imports. The document states “… CBP is enhancing its isotopic testing capabilities at three of its laboratories. As a result of these efforts, CBP will not only be able to conduct more tests, but also obtain results more rapidly. However, even with these additional investments, CBP will have limited testing resources and does not have the capacity to test all U.S imports. This is why CBP continues to encourage the inclusion of private sector testing in importer due diligence programs to help identify and manage risk.”
Briefing on Hurricane Helene
On October 28, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) held a briefing on the coordinated inter-agency response to the agricultural impact of Hurricane Helene. See below for takeaways, discussion points, and other details.
Joint Coalition Letter to President Biden
Today, a letter was sent to President Biden, signed by the American Cotton Shippers Association and more than 270 other local, state, and federal trade associations. The letter urged President Biden and his administration to use all of its authorities to end the port strike, get the ports open, and get the parties back to the negotiating table.
Letter on Shipping Disruptions
The American Cotton Shippers Association and almost 200 other organizations sent a letter to President Biden today, urging the Administration to “urgently pursue all avenues to mitigate the supply chain challenges facing U.S. agriculture.” With a significant portion of the U.S. cotton crop being exported out of the East Coast and Gulf Coast, a port strike would be detrimental to our ability to get U.S. cotton to our international customers.
Letter on East and Gulf Coast Port Operations
Today, the American Cotton Shippers and 55 other agricultural stakeholders sent a letter to the Biden administration asking them to “act before a lockout or strike occurs to prevent damage to U.S. agriculture and the economy.”
