. The strike would shut down a total of 36 ports, thereby significantly affecting the supply of fruits from the Southern Hemisphere into the United States of America and Canada. For example, Delaware’s Port Wilmington is the country’s leading gateway for imports of fresh fruits, including grapes, stonefruit, apples, pears, cherries and berries from Chile; citrus fruits from South Africa; apples and pears from Argentina; kiwifruit from New Zealand; and grapes from Peru and Brazil.

Other important entry points for our fruits include the Port of Philadelphia and the Port of New York and New Jersey, all of which risk being shut down as a result of the strike. The impacts from a potential strike would be magnified by ongoing issues in the Red Sea and Panama Canal, effectively choking off major arteries of global trade. SHAFFE has contacted the US Government to highlight the potential detrimental impacts of the strike, not only on our industry but also on consumers in North America. We have urged the Biden administration to engage with the International Longshoremen’s Association and the United States Maritime Alliance to ensure that a new deal is negotiated quickly, or that ports remain operative and cargo is kept flowing while negotiations continue. If this issue affects you, please contact the SHAFFE secretariat asap. We are liaising with the Canadian Produce Marketing Association (CPMA), one of our co-members in the Global Coalition of Fresh Produce, to help compile impact statements from the industry on how the disruptions would impact programmes and product flow. Your input could help us support efforts to avert the worst impacts of the strike, for example by urging shipping lines and port operators to prepare themselves for the redirection of shipments to Canadian ports, or exploring diplomatic channels to keep certain critical supply routes open.