The Associated Press is reporting out of Stoneville, Mississippi that the Delta Council board of directors “has endorsed a proposal to add catfish to the Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) food safety inspection program.”The proposal, which has the backing of the Catfish Farmers of America, was discussed during the Delta Council board’s midyear meeting. The Delta Council is regional group “of agriculture and business interests in the Mississippi Delta.” ‘“We want the USDA to treat catfish just like it does beef, pork and poultry,’ said John Phillips, chairman of the Delta Council executive committee.”
Ultimately, the farmers want foreign fish imports considered “catfish” so that they would be subject to the new inspections catfish farmers were able to get through Congress in 2008. The farmers are hopeful the Obama administration will sign off on this strategy. Currently the USDA regulates all meat products, but not seafood. Seafood, including imported seafood, is inspected by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
Under the proposal being considered by the Delta Council, only catfish would be shifted to the purview of the USDA while other species will continue to be regulated by the FDA. As the AP reports, the inspection situation is just the newest issue in a long, ongoing battle between a $400 million domestic industry where catfish are raised on farms primarily in Mississippi, Alabama, and Arkansas and foreign imports from Asia. In Vietnam, the main foreign competitor, fish are raised both in ponds and in aquaculture cages in the Mekong River.
The AP reports, “U.S. catfish farmers have long complained that substandard aquaculture is practiced in Asian countries. Critics of the group claim its motivation has more to do with profits than concerns about consumer safety.” There is no word yet on whether the administration will support this move. One thing is for sure, it is not every day when an industry is actually asking for more regulations and inspection.
To read the AP story click here.
Posted: 11/11/09
