Rep. Mann Discusses Importance of Cold Chain in Farm Bill Hearing

On May 11^th, the House Agriculture Committee’s Subcommittee on Nutrition, Foreign Agriculture, and Horticulture held a hearing entitled: “Stakeholder Perspectives on Agricultural Trade.” The hearing focused on the Trade Title of the Farm Bill and ways to promote trade of U.S. agricultural commodities. There was strong bipartisan support for programs such as the Market Access Program and the Foreign Market Development Cooperator Program. Witnesses included:

Mr. John Griffith, Executive Vice President, Ag Business and Hedging, CHS, Inc.
Ms. Lori Stevermer, President-Elect, National Pork Producers Council
Mr. Matt Lantz, Vice President for Global Access, Bryant Christie, Inc.
Ambassador Gregg Doud, Vice President of Global Situational Awareness & Chief Economist, Aimpoint Research

During the question period, Rep. Mann (R-KS) spoke about the need for building cold chain capacity in developing markets.  He stressed that one of the biggest barriers for diversifying markets is the lack of effective cold chains.  He asked Ambassador Doud for his thoughts on the role cold chain plays in trade and Doud stated that cold chain is enormously important as the U.S. looks to expand into developing markets.  Ambassador Doud also mentioned the importance of cold chain for trade during his oral testimony. The continued discussion of cold chain is very important to building momentum for GCCA’s Farm Bill initiative as the legislative process moves forward. GCCA appreciates Rep. Mann’s leadership in advancing the issue of cold chain during the hearing.