ASTA offers arbitration for disputes that may arise in transactions using an ASTA contract. The ASTA Arbitration Program allows ASTA members to resolve conflicts arising from business transactions, provided that certain conditions are met. Effective July 1, 2023, the Rules of the American Spice Trade Association (the “ASTA Rules”), including the rules contained in the ASTA document “A Guide to Arbitration,” have been replaced by the International Arbitration Rules of the ICDR (the “ICDR Rules”). Any contract executed on or after July 1, 2023, that references or incorporates the ASTA Rules or ASTA Arbitration Program shall be deemed to incorporate the ICDR Rules and reflect an agreement that arbitration shall be administered by the ICDR. If at least one party to the contract is an ASTA member, the parties to any arbitration may select arbitrators from the list of arbitrators maintained by the Arbitration Board of the American Spice Trade Association, which is available at no cost from ASTA. To assist ASTA members in understanding the “ICDR rules,” ICDR Vice President Luis Martinez presented the ICDR’s administrative system, the institutions, its rules and policies, and ASTA counsel Sam Zimmerman of Hogan Lovells answers questions on the new ASTA arbitration clause in a webinar provided to ASTA members.

This presentation was provided at ASTA's 2022 Annual Meeting in April. The presenter, Preston Wigner, presented on How Force Majeure Works in Commercial Transactions, including Uniform Commercial Code, Commercial Impossibility and Impracticability, and Frustration of Purpose.