Mississippi catfish farmers are losing the war against foreign competitors with the very weapon they saw as salvation. The domestic catfish industry had lobbied to move oversight of catfish processing from the Food and Drug Administration to the U.S. Department of Agriculture five years ago with an eye limiting foreign imports that had decimated domestic production in the Mississippi Delta. However, the imports of siluriformes - the larger category of catfish - have only increased since the switch in 2016. Meanwhile, domestic prices and production, primarily in southern states, have continued to decline. Nearly 65,000 more tons of catfish were imported in 2019 compared to 2015 - before Food Safety and Inspection Service took over. The Mississippi Department of Agriculture and Commerce lists recent processing volumes at 5M pounds per month less than in 2015 during FDA oversight. As domestic prices have declined, the average value of imports has grown with the added USDA label. (Source: Mississippi Center for Investigative Reporting 07/04/21) Catfish wars: Foreign catfish imports affecting local output, prices (clarionledger.com)
Bill James, previously chief public health veterinarian with the USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service, said the agency’s program is the superior inspection system, and the USDA label with its certification and accompanying legend of ingredients makes products much more attractive to consumers.
Catfish is the only fish handled by the Food Safety and Inspection Service, which otherwise handles processing of beef, pork and poultry, and the decision to have an exception just for catfish aquaculture was contentious. Yet, most of the concern stemmed from the duplication of efforts, bureaucratic waste, potential trade repercussions and the attempt to stifle imports.
The Government Accountability Office released 10 reports against the move with one in 2012 simply titled “Responsibility for Inspecting Catfish Should Not Be Assigned to USDA.”
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