House Members Urge Funding of USDA Catfish Inspection
The Department of Agriculture (USDA) Catfish Inspection Program aims to effectively rein in U.S. catfish and catfish product imports laced with illegal antibiotics and carcinogens, despite critics' assertions that the program is wasteful and duplicative, says Rep. Terri Sewell, D-Ala., in a letter to House members urging them to reject an amendment to prevent program funding. Rep. Vicky Hartzler, R-Mo., filed the amendment to fiscal year 2015 agriculture appropriations legislation that would strip funding for the program (see 14061105), but lawmakers have not yet debated or voted on the amendment. Over recent months, Hartzler and many other congressional colleagues have tried to prevent implementation of the program. Opponents say it will hurt catfish imports and invite trade retaliation (see 13121124).
Sign up for a free preview to unlock the rest of this article
If your job depends on informed compliance, you need International Trade Today. Delivered every business day and available any time online, only International Trade Today helps you stay current on the increasingly complex international trade regulatory environment.
The Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act of 2015, HR-4800 (here) is tentatively scheduled to be taken up further this week after adjourning consideration on June 11. A dozen other House members signed onto the letter, and it continues to circulate, a Sewell spokesman said. “The Catfish Inspection Program does not prohibit catfish and catfish-like species from coming to the U.S. from other countries,” says the letter. “It only requires the exporting countries to demonstrate to USDA that their food safety programs meet the same standards imposed on U.S. farmers and processors. The end result is safer catfish for the consumer whether it is produced domestically or abroad.”
Email ITTNews@warren-news.comITTNews@warren-news.com for a copy of the letter.