No images? Click here Welcome back to this week's edition of the Washington Weekly newsletter - bringing you the latest and greatest policy updates from Washington, D.C.GCCA Meets with Food and Drug Administration On Thursday, May 26, 2022, GCCA staff and GCCA board member, Don Durm, hosted FDA officials in-person at the GCCA Washington, DC headquarters. The engagement provided GCCA with the opportunity to highlight the success of the refrigerated transportation best practices guide and the Certified Cold Carrier program as well as discuss how industry can further collaborate with the agency. In addition, we received an update on recent FSMA inspection trends and FDA’s proposed food traceability rule and the potential impact it could have on the membership. We look forward to continuing to engage with FDA on these issues and promoting the importance of the cold chain. USDA Announces Signup for the Commodity Container Assistance Program On Wednesday, May 25, 2022, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced that the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) will begin accepting applications for the Commodity Container Assistance Program (CCAP) which currently includes a partnership with the Port of Oakland in California and the Northwest Seaport Alliance (NWSA), which is a marine cargo operating partnership between the Port of Seattle and the Port of Tacoma in Washington State. Ongoing market disruptions have created logistical challenges associated with the availability and flow of shipping containers to transport agricultural commodities, which has prevented or delayed American-grown agricultural commodities from reaching their markets. “Both the Port of Oakland and the NWSA in Seattle have been identified as key gateways for American-grown agricultural commodities, and each has experienced significant challenges with the flow of containerized agricultural commodities and products,” Secretary Vilsack said. “While USDA’s per-container reimbursements will not cover the full cost of moving and storing shipping containers, the assistance provided will help ensure American-grown agricultural products can once again efficiently move through supply chains to reach global markets.” For more information, including about the application process, please see the full press release HERE. GCCA Calls for Tariff Relief in Face of the Pandemic, Supply Chain Disruptions, Inflation, and the Impacts of the War in Ukraine On Thursday, May 26, 2022, GCCA joined over 40 food and agriculture associations in sending a letter to the U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai office calling for the suspension, reduction or elimination of tariffs in order to ease the burden of retaliatory tariffs on the industry and American farm families. The letter comes as the Biden Administration is undergoing a mandatory review of recently increased tariffs and following Administration comments that tariff changes are under review as part of efforts to address inflation. The letter makes a particular point of illustrating the negative impacts retaliatory tariffs have had on rural economies and farmers. America’s rural communities have been hard hit by rising costs for inputs and decreased market access. As the Biden Administration undergoes their statutory review of tariffs and continues to weigh rollbacks to address inflation, GCCA and our coalition partners will be continuing to advocate on behalf of the industry to help ease the lingering economic pain of the trade war. Read the full letter HERE. Biden-Harris Administration Announces New Actions to Strengthen Food Supply Chains, Level the Playing Field for Growers, and Lower Prices for American Consumers On Thursday, May 26, 2022, U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Secretary Tom Vilsack announced more support, resources, and new rules that will strengthen the American food supply chain, promote fair and competitive agricultural markets, prevent abuse of farmers by poultry processors and make prices fairer for farmers and American consumers. These actions build on President Biden’s whole-of-government effort to promote competition in the American economy and fulfill key pillars of the Meat and Poultry Supply Chain Action Plan launched in January by President Biden, Secretary Vilsack, and Attorney General Garland. These actions combat market dominance by a small number of major meat and poultry processors in key markets, where excessive concentration and control has led to lower prices paid to producers and higher prices paid by consumers. Specifically, these actions include issuing a new Packers & Stockyards Act rulemaking, making available $200 Million to expand competition in meat processing, and investing $25 million in workforce training. Read the full announcement HERE. China Competition Bill Still Weeks Away The US Congress could resolve a months-long stalemate with a deal on a China competition bill in a matter of weeks, Senator Todd Young, one of the lead negotiators said. The House and Senate are attempting to reconcile their different approaches on the legislation. Young, the Indiana Republican who co-authored the Senate version, predicted the final product will be closer to the Senate’s bill than the House package, which includes additional climate-change provisions. The legislation includes a broadly supported provision to provide $52 billion in grants and incentives to bolster domestic semiconductor manufacturing, as well as measures aiming to jump-start innovation and bring key industries back to the US amid a global supply chain crunch. The White House has touted the bill as a centerpiece of its anti-inflation agenda, arguing that increased competition would boost supply and lower prices in key sectors that rely on access to semiconductors. 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