|
|
| |
| Wed, Oct. 8, 2008 |  |
 |
|
||
| |
Ross alters seafood safety bill for catfish producers Thursday, Apr 10, 2008 By Aaron Sadler Stephens Washington Bureau WASHINGTON - Rep. Mike Ross rushed Wednesday to strengthen language in a bill he had just introduced after the catfish industry let it be known they would otherwise oppose the legislation. The bill calling for federal inspection of imported seafood initially did not satisfy domestic catfish producers who sought a stronger mandate for inspections, according to industry sources. Ross, D-Prescott, announced in a news release at 2 p.m. Wednesday that he had introduced the bill. By 5 p.m., Ross had changed a few words to, in essence, toughen the inspection requirements, his office said. Without the changes, catfish industry sources said the measure would be toothless. A spokesman for the congressman said there was a miscommunication that led to the confusion and it was Ross' intent all along to file what became the updated version. "I'm the biggest advocate (catfish farmers) have got up here and they're the reason I filed the bill," Ross said. Ross initially introduced the bill as a companion measure to one pending in the Senate. The Senate bill by Sen. Daniel Inouye, D-Hawaii, states that the federal government "may" send inspectors to examine imported seafood. Ross' revision changes "may" in that instance and others to "shall." The congressman thought the Senate bill also contained the "shall" language, his spokesman said. The head of the state Department of Agriculture's aquaculture division said he didn't have a problem with Ross' bill. Arkansas catfish farmers and others within the industry sometimes "don't see eye-to-eye," said Ted McNulty of Pine Bluff. The industry, like McNulty and Ross, supports a provision in the Senate version of the Farm Bill that requires the U.S. Department of Agriculture to inspect catfish just like meat and poultry. But with the Farm Bill stalled in Congress, McNulty said Ross' bill is the next best thing. "We appear to be a long way from getting to a Farm Bill and we're not clear if that language is going to be included in the Farm Bill or not," Ross said. "I believe this is better than nothing. I believe it goes a long way toward protecting the consumer and keeping our catfish farmers from unfair and unsafe imports." The Commercial Seafood Consumer Protection Act would set aside $15 million annually over four years for additional seafood-testing laboratories. It orders the Department of Commerce and Department of Health and Human Services to work together to develop a process for improving inspection of imported seafood. Last year, catfish imported from China was discovered to contain illegal antibiotics. Domestic catfish producers say tough USDA inspection of catfish would prevent tainted food from entering the country. Critics claim the push for tougher inspections is a way for U.S. farmers to stop international competition. Other seafood lobbies balked at a House provision to require USDA inspection of all imported seafood. They claim it would duplicate Commerce Department efforts and spread the USDA too thin. Sen. Mark Pryor, D-Ark., is a member of the Senate committee that will take up Inouye's bill later this month. His spokeswoman said Wednesday that Arkansas catfish farmers are not 100 percent behind the legislation. They would prefer USDA inspections, she said. In a statement, Pryor said he also would prefer USDA oversight. |
