Food and agriculture organisations oppose Canada’s vaccination law for drivers.
Top Biden administration officials have received a letter from a coalition of organisations, including the North American Millers’ Association, the American Bakers Association, and the National Grain and Feed Association, requesting an exemption from vaccination for truck drivers transporting agricultural products from Canada.
The Dec. 9 letter raises concerns about a US policy that will go into effect in January and require all foreign national truck drivers who are need to come into the country to provide proof of immunisation. Alejandro Mayorkas, the secretary of Homeland Security, and Pete Buttigieg, the secretary of transportation, received the letter.
The group stated, “North American agricultural supply chains are deeply intertwined.” “Imposing a cross-border vaccination mandate on truck drivers from Canada will disrupt trade and be detrimental to both the US and Canada.” Canada is a significant source of fertiliser to US farmers and the largest import market for completed US agricultural products. This vital trade will decline and get more expensive if Canadian truck drivers are not exempt from the rule. Canada has not imposed a comparable prohibition on American truck drivers who are not vaccinated, acknowledging the vital role that truck drivers play in society. We implore the United States to never stop acknowledging the vital role that truck drivers play in both domestic and international trade.
The groups requested that Mr. Buttigieg and Mr. Mayorkas offer cross-border truck drivers the choice of testing instead of vaccination as well as vaccine exemptions.
“We hope that this policy aligns with the recent Emergency Temporary Standard (ETS) fact sheet from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), which states that individuals who work alone and do not interact with other employees or customers should not be required to get vaccinations because they pose little risk to others,” the group stated.
According to the groups, the necessity for proof of vaccination for essential travellers comes at a time when there is a severe shortage of truck drivers. They stated that in order to maintain US supply chains, actions that acknowledge “essential, critical infrastructure travel” must be taken.
Despite the high vaccination rates among drivers in Canada, the groups stated that any decrease in driver availability due to COVID limitations “would be crippling to trade and food supply chains.”
The letter said, “Furthermore, American truck drivers have a much lower vaccination rate than Canadian drivers.” A significant portion of the estimated 40,000 US-based drivers with cross-border routes would not be able to enter Canada if the Canadian government were to reciprocate this regulation and impose new vaccination requirements akin to the US measures going into effect in January, aggravating current supply chain issues.
“We implore you to offer cross-border truck drivers a range of exemption and testing choices, given this very real threat to the orderly trans-border flow of goods.”
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Other signatories to the letter, besides the ABA and NAMA, were:The following associations are affiliated with the American Farm Bureau Federation: National Council of Farmer Cooperatives; National Pasta Association; National Propane Gas Association; Pet Food Institute; The Fertiliser Institute; The International Dairy Foods Association; USA Rice and Western Growers; American Feed Industry Association; American Sweet Potato Marketing Institute; Consumer Brands Association; Corn Refiners Association; Fresh Produce Association of the Americas.
“We would urge your department and all relevant agencies of the government of Canada to work with your US counterparts to have aligned policies that not only encourage vaccinations, but also provide a number of exemption and testing alternatives for drivers who are not yet vaccinated,” the groups wrote in a companion letter to the Canadian minister of transportation.