Longshoremen at ports along the East and Gulf Coasts are set to strike when their current labor contract expires at midnight tonight.
In this audio report, U.S. Meat Export Federation Vice President for Economic Analysis Erin Borror explains the significant economic impact a shutdown will have on the U.S. meat and livestock industries.
Forty-five percent of waterborne pork shipments and 30% of waterborne beef shipments move out of the affected ports at a pace of about $100 million worth of product weekly. Much of that product is handled by smaller companies serving very specific markets such as the Caribbean or Central and South America as well as variety meats like beef livers to Egypt. These are routes that do not have economically viable shipping alternatives.
