By Jess McCluer, Vice President of Safety and Regulatory Affairs and Sarah Gonzalez, Director of Communications and Digital Media The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and the National Grain and Feed Association (NGFA) today formed an alliance, which will allow the grain, feed and processing industry to work more closely and collaboratively with the regulatory agency. The Alliance, signed by Deputy Assistant Secretary and Acting Assistant Secretary of OSHA Loren Sweatt and NGFA President Randy Gordon, during NGFA’s Board of Directors meeting ... Read More
Newsletter
Canadian foot-dragging reportedly slows NAFTA progress
By Randy Gordon, President While the official communication emanating from the second round of negotiations to update the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) conducted on Sept. 1-5 in Mexico City, Mexico, took an optimistic tone, there are indications that foot-dragging by Canadian trade negotiators slowed what could have been even greater progress. In a joint statement issued Sept. 5, U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer and his counterparts – Canadian Foreign Minister Chrystia Freeland and Mexican Economic Secretary Ildefonso Guajardo – noted that more than two dozen ... Read More
AAFCO to address feed safety, regulatory issues during upcoming meeting
By David Fairfield, Senior Vice President of Feed Services Industry representatives will join federal and state regulatory officials to examine key animal feed safety and regulatory issues during the upcoming meeting of the Association of American Feed Control Officials (AAFCO) on Aug. 10-12 in Bellevue, Wash. Feed regulatory officials from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and various states are scheduled to provide regulatory update on the on-going implementation of the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA). In addition, members of AAFCO will continue to consider ... Read More
Registration open for September NGFA-KSU FSMA training
By David Fairfield, Senior Vice President of Feed Services Registration is open for the NGFA-Kansas State University Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) training course scheduled for Sept. 26-28 in Manhattan, Kan. This course is targeted for businesses that need to comply with FDA’s rule for Current Good Manufacturing Practice, Hazard Analysis, and Risk-based Preventive Controls for Food for Animals. The FDA animal food rule requires that certain activities specified within the regulations be completed by a “preventive controls qualified individual.” Such activities include ... Read More
CONVEY17 covers top industry issues
By Sarah Gonzalez, Director of Communications and Digital Media “Do you have your organization set up to be successful with a completely different demographic?” asked CGB’s human resources leader in a keynote address to more than 150 grain and feed facility managers and employees in Kansas City, Mo., last week. Mark Berry, vice president of human resources at CGB Enterprises Inc., noted during CONVEY17, the NGFA’s and Grain Journal Magazine’s operations and regulatory compliance conference, that 80 percent of baby boomers will retire over the next 10 years. Even now, most of the ... Read More
NGFA, NAEGA submit trade comments outlining NAFTA priorities
By Max Fisher, Director of Economics and Government Relations NGFA and the North American Export Grain Association (NAEGA) submitted joint statements this week regarding the performance of free trade agreements and the modernization of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). In response to a solicitation for comments by the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) and the U.S. Department of Commerce regarding the administration’s assessment of free trade agreements and the nation’s trade relations with other members of the World Trade Organization, the NGFA and NAEGA ... Read More
CSX CEO blames severe service disruptions on resistant company employees
By Randy Gordon, NGFA President CSX President and Chief Executive Officer E. Hunter Harrison put the onus on recalcitrant company employees who have “push(ed) back” against implementation of his scheduled railroad model for the rapid decline in rail service provided by the carrier. The NGFA and several of its member companies were among those voicing serious concerns to the federal Surface Transportation Board (STB) about the degradation of service provided by CSX over the past month, which seemingly has gotten progressively worse. The NGFA warned that the service situation could ... Read More
What’s required in FDA’s FSMA food transportation rule?
By David Fairfield, Senior Vice President of Feed Services As mandated by the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA), the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on April 6, 2016 published final regulations that establish requirements for shippers, loaders, carriers and receivers engaged in the transportation of human and animal food by truck or rail to use sanitary transportation practices to ensure food and feed safety. Among the many operations covered by the rule are shippers, loaders, carriers and receivers involved with motor or rail vehicle transportation of raw agricultural ... Read More
NGFA and Grain Journal introduce Convey ’17 – a new operations and regulatory compliance conference
Registration is open for the NGFA’s and Grain Journal magazine’s Convey 2017, a newly redesigned and rebranded operations and regulatory compliance conference and trade show for the grain handling, processing, milling and feed industries. Convey, a successor to the former NGFA-Grain Journal Safety Conference, will focus annually on key regulatory compliance, safety and operational issues that are vital to facility managers and their key employees. A significant focus of Convey ’17 will be on the Trump administration’s regulatory philosophy and policy changes affecting the Occupational ... Read More
Updated NGFA Trade Rules and Arbitration booklet available
The NGFA has published a new, updated version of its popular Trade Rules and Arbitration Rules booklet that is available now for purchase. The new booklet includes the latest changes ratified by the membership during the March convention. View the Trade Rules, Arbitration Rules, Rail Arbitration Rules and Bylaws changes here. These changes already are in effect, after having been approved previously by the Board of Directors. The new booklet also includes the changes to the Trade Rules regarding Canadian Official Weights that the Board approved during its meeting at the March convention. ... Read More
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