Stalling on Catfish Inspection Continues to Put Trade Relations Before Americans’ Health, Domestic Catfish Farmers

Statement by Wenonah Hauter, Executive Director, Food & Water Watch

Washington, D.C. – “After waiting nearly three years for the USDA to establish an inspection program for domestic and imported catfish, today the agency posted a proposed rule that is deplorably incomplete and only further delays the program that was mandated by the 2008 Farm Bill to protect consumers against unsafe, mislabeled fish.

“Congress has appropriated the money needed for the catfish inspection program since Fiscal Year 2009 and the current Fiscal Year 2011 Continuing Resolution keeps catfish funds in tact, but there are no regulations to enforce it. Now, as the Obama Administration is finally getting around to releasing the proposed regulations, it has eliminated funding for catfish inspection in Fiscal Year 2012.

“Not only do consumers not know what chemicals, antibiotics or pollution their imported farmed fish is exposed to, but often times the species of the fish is intentionally mislabeled. This doesn’t just deceives consumers, but also puts domestic catfish farmers at a disadvantage since their fish meet higher standards, and they can’t compete on price with imported ‘mystery fish’.

“Domestic catfish farmers welcome tougher inspections; they want to ensure that all catfish is safe and that consumers know what type of fish they are eating. While this administration panders to trade negotiators in countries like Vietnam and China, American consumers take their chances on fish that they know little to nothing about and domestic catfish farmers continue to lose market share to inferior, potentially unsafe products.”

CONTACT: Anna Ghosh, aghosh(at)fwwatch(dot)org, 415-293-9905