Source:  AGRICULTURAL RETAILERS ASSOCIATION, 1/6/22
 
NOTE: NCAg is a member of ARA. 

Below is a letter to the National Governors Association requesting help in prioritizing testing availability for industries deemed part of the nation’s critical infrastructure with essential workers to prevent interruption to critical goods and services for American consumers. 

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January 5, 2022 
Governor Asa Hutchinson
Chairman, National Governors Association
444 North Capitol Street
Washington D.C., 20001

Governor Phil Murphy
Vice Chairman, National Governors Association
444 North Capitol Street
Washington D.C., 20001

Dear Governors:
With COVID-19 cases surging nationwide, along with an influx of holiday travel and family get togethers and the unanticipated high transmissibility of the Omicron variant, our nation stands at a pivotal point in the pandemic, with the strength of the domestic supply chain to provide health products and essential goods. 

Both citizens and the economy rely on workers at every link of the supply chain. It is becoming increasingly clear that the spread of Omicron poses the challenge of rapid disruption to America’s critical supply infrastructure sectors. These sectors and the industries they represent depend on essential workers, all of whom contribute to ensure the health, safety and well-being of Americans every day. Critical for sustaining this supply chain is the availability of accurate, readily available testing supplies to slow the spread of COVID-19, in accordance with guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. 

The undersigned organizations urge the nation’s governors to work with the Biden administration to accelerate efforts to ensure test kit and supply availability and recognize the essential role of the industries represented below, by taking steps that would prioritize testing availability and access for our nation’s critical infrastructure. Doing so would prevent interruption to critical goods and services at a time when Americans need them the most and would help to protect those workers who remain on the front lines of the pandemic. 

We are encouraged by efforts already underway at the state and federal levels to distribute testing supplies; nevertheless we know from the earliest days of the pandemic that the prioritization of testing supplies for essential workers is critical to preserving the functionality of the supply chain, upon which we all rely. We are grateful for your attention to this need and your continued strong leadership and dedication to combatting the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

Sincerely,

Agriculture Retailers Association
American Bakers Association
American Building Materials Alliance
American Cleaning Institute
American Feed Industry Association
Association of Equipment Manufacturers
Consumer Brands Association
Consumer Healthcare Products Association
Corn Refiners Association
Crop Life America
Distilled Spirits Council of the U.S.
FMI - The Food Industry Association 
Fragrance Creators Association
Fresh Produce Association of the Americas
International Bottled Water Association
International Fresh Produce Association
National Aquaculture Association
National Association of Beverage Importers Inc.
National Automatic Merchandising Association
National Confectioners Association
National Council of Farmer Cooperatives
National Grocers Association
National Milk Producers Federation
National Pork Producers Council
National Restaurant Association
National Turkey Federation
North American Meat Institute
North American Millers' Association
North American Renderers Association
Pet Food Institute
Responsible Industry for Sound Environment
The Fertilizer Institute
Wine & Spirits Wholesalers of America