ARLINGTON, VIRGINIA, US — The American Feed Industry Association (AFIA) is urging US President Joe Biden to sign a shipping reform bill that addresses many disruptions that have hampered the import and export of US animal food products the last several years.

The Ocean Shipping Reform Act of 2022 was recently passed by House leaders and now awaits the president’s signature.

Due to disruptions the last several years, the feed industry has incurred unreasonably high costs for doing business and unnecessary detention and demurrage fees, the AFIA said.

“Our members have been caught between the devil and the deep blue sea over the past few years, having difficulty exporting animal feed, feed ingredients and pet food products that their foreign buyers need, while battling the undercurrent of exorbitant rate and fee increases for containers and logistical nightmares for both imports and exports,” said Constance Cullman, president and chief executive officer of the AFIA. “While we know that the next few months will not be smooth, we are hopeful that the passage of the Ocean Shipping Reform Act signals a course correction that will enable our industry to continue providing these essential goods to the global marketplace in a timely, cost-efficient way.”