Posted January 13, 2014
The subject of the USDA catfish inspection program resurfaced lasted week, as letters from opponents were sent to lawmakers, according to an Agri-Pulse article available here.
Senator John McCain (R-AZ) sent a letter, available here, to Senate Agriculture Committee Chair Debbie Stabenow (D-MI) and ranking member (R-MS), asking them to end the USDA catfish inspection program and calling the program “duplicative.”
McCain wrote, “If we do not repeal the USDA Catfish Inspection Program, hardworking farmers and ranchers across the United States may find themselves reeling from the effect of a multibillion dollar trade war.” He continued, “The need to repeal the catfish program far outweighs whatever parochial reasons exist to prop-up a small number of domestic catfish farmers.”
Other groups opposing the program also sent a letter, available here, to Senate and House Agriculture Committee leaders.
The USDA Catfish Inspection Program replaces the existing program at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). For more information on this program, recent posts from this blog are available hereand here. American catfish farmers “say the new inspection program would be more rigorous” and “is needed to make sure all domestic and imported catfish is safe to eat.” The move was also supported by Sen. Cochran, who argued for the provision to be included in the 2008 farm bill.
Vietnam disagrees, saying the program is a trade barrier. About 250 million pounds of Vietnamese catfish, called pangasius, was exported to the U.S. in 2012, making up over 60 percent of the American market.
House version of the farm bill includes a provision to repeal the program (Section 11107 of H.R. 2642).
Please visit the National Agricultural Law Center’s website for more information on farm bills, international trade, and aquaculture.
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