According to a report Wal-Mart and other large retailers opposes including swai, basa and other Asian whitefish in U.S. Agriculture Department catfish inspections, while Southern catfish farmers favor a broad definition of catfish in the proposed rule on inspections. The matter of fact is that catfish farming is a $600 million industry in Arkansas.
As per the Retail Industry Leaders Association the proposed regulation would reduce supply of imported fish, driving up prices for retailers and ultimately U.S. consumers. Stephanie Lester, vice president of international trade for the association, said that those offerings would be expected to disappear from store shelves following issuance of a final rule. The lack of available product would be expected to cause instantaneous price increases.
Southern catfish farmers say the proposed rule should include a broad definition of catfish to insure the safety of all farm-raised catfish or catfish-like fish consumed in the United States. The retail association also questioned the need for moving catfish regulation from the Food and Drug Administration, which handles other seafood, to the USDA, which inspects meat and poultry.
The USDA has received more than 250 comments over the last 90 days on a proposed regulation that would establish an inspection system for catfish that Congress mandated in the Food, Conservation and Energy Act of 2008. A key issue that has yet to be determined is whether the rule will define “catfish” to a narrow or broad range of fish.
The Vietnam Association of Seafood Exporters and Producers opposes the broader definition and implied that they are prepared to challenge it in court. The United States imported about $185 million worth of fish from Vietnam last year that is now marketed as basa, swai and tra.
