Ross Statement on New USDA Catfish Rule

Statement

U.S. Congressman Mike Ross, D-Prescott, issued the following statement in response to the U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA) decision last week recommending the implementation of a law that would require catfish imported to the United States be held to the same inspections and regulations as domestic catfish. The proposed ruling, which was approved by Congress more than two and a half years ago but has been delayed in its implementation, would transfer the inspection and regulation of catfish from the FDA, which inspects only two percent of seafood imported into the United States, to the USDA, which has more stringent inspection and safety programs.

According to the Catfish Farmers of America, nearly one-third of all catfish sold in America is imported from Vietnam and China, where fish farming environments are far less controlled and are much more likely to become contaminated than catfish produced here in the United States. Both federal and state governments have found serious health risks in imported catfish which contain chemicals, pollutants and antibiotics that are banned for use in fish farming in the United States. Federal government agencies recently reported that frozen catfish fillets imported from Vietnam were contaminated with malachite green and Enrofloxin, both of which are considered health hazards and are banned in U.S. food products.

The public and interested groups will have 120 days to offer comments on the proposed regulation to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, which says public meetings are also in the process of being planned.

Statement from U.S. Congressman Mike Ross:

"For too many years, catfish grown and produced right here in the U.S. has been held to a higher stand than catfish imported from other parts of the world, where some producers use harmful chemicals and often skirt federal health and safety regulations. This has always been a major concern because when there is a food safety incident with foreign catfish, consumer confidence in all catfish, including that raised here at home, plummets nationwide.

"It's past time that we protect our food supply and hold everyone to the same high standard of safety. Catfish is an important industry and source of jobs here in Arkansas and our local farmers should be able to compete on a level playing field with the rest of the world. I applaud this long-overdue, commonsense rule as it makes our food safer, our economy stronger and helps ensure catfish farmers here in Arkansas can sustain their way of life."

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