Senator Mary Landrieu has shown leadership to protect and support Louisiana’s seafood industry. (Photo Credit: senate.gov)

Senator pushes customs to inspect foreign shrimp

UNITED STATES
Wednesday, October 22, 2014, 22:50 (GMT + 9)

In light of shrimp shipments which were recently rejected by the European Union for containing excessive antibiotics, US Senator Mary L. Landrieu, Chair of the Senate Appropriations Homeland Security Subcommittee, called on US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) to increase inspections of foreign seafood coming into the US.

In a letter to CBP Commissioner R. Gil Kerlikowske, Sen. Landrieu (D-La.) pointed out that these shrimp not only pose health and safety risks, but they directly threaten the domestic shrimping industry that is already suffering from illegally dumped foreign products. This illegal dumping is depressing prices in the US market, putting US shrimpers at risk.

Despite the serious health and safety risks posed by shrimp from China and India, Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is only inspecting approximately two per cent of imported shrimp.

In 2012, US shrimpers harvested 313 million pounds of shrimp generating USD 512 million, 70 per cent of which was caught in the Gulf of Mexico. Louisiana alone accounted for a third of the national catch.

“With the occurrence of shrimp already being illegally dumped into this country, the United States cannot afford to have this industry be more diluted, especially with potentially harmful product,” Sen Landrieu wrote. “I ask that you make this a top priority and allocate additional resources to inspecting seafood imports.”

Dr. David Veal, Executive Director of the American Shrimp Processors Association (ASPA) said, "ASPA is grateful to Senator Landrieu for her leadership on seafood and Customs issues at this critical time for the shrimp industry. The US market is experiencing an import surge related to subsidized production that will test inspection and enforcement efforts in the US and overseas. Leading Chinese officials recently indicated that they may not accept production from their own Chinese suppliers due to safety concerns.  The US must do more to ensure consumer safety which may be endangered by foreign products.  We are pleased Senator Landrieu is raising the profile of this health and safety issue."

Sen. Landrieu has long-fought to protect and support Louisiana’s seafood industry. Last month, she called on the Presidential Task Force to continue to collect duties from shrimp illegally dumped into the US market that hurts Louisiana shrimpers. The dumping became so bad that Louisiana shrimpers considered a strike over low prices driven down because of illegal dumping.

In June, Sen. Landrieu announced that USD 3 million would be directed to collect anti-dumping duties from countries that illegally dump shrimp, crawfish and other seafood into US markets in the bill that funds the Department of Homeland Security for FY15. That same month, she successfully pushed the FDA to update guidance that advises pregnant women to eat two to three servings per week of a variety of fish. Doing so is “a good first step” toward providing pregnant women with clear advice on the most up to date science.

In 2011, she pressed CBP and Immigration and Customs Enforcement to strengthen its efforts to collect anti-dumping duties.

Sen. Landrieu successfully led the effort in 2011 for the International Trade Commission (ITC) to extend the antidumping tariffs on imported shrimp from Thailand, China, Vietnam, India and Brazil. The tariffs will continue on the import through 2016.

Louisiana’s shrimp industry supports over 14,000 jobs and contributes USD 1.3 billion to Louisiana’s economy. In 2011, shrimpers landed over 92 million pounds of shrimp, more than any other state in the union. 

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