The United States doesn't apply a regular customs tariff on Indian shrimp imports.
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The Southern Shrimp Alliance urges the members of the US Congress to investigate and take the corresponding actions against the Indian shrimp exporter industry.
In more detail, John Williams, Executive Director of the Southern Shrimp Alliance, expressed: "We encourage every member of Congress who represents shrimpers, or who cares about the food put on the plates of Americans, to support the India Shrimp Tariff Act."
According to the Alliance, the United States doesn't apply a regular customs tariff on Indian shrimp imports. Furthermore, the US Food and Drug Administration samples and tests less than 0.1% of seafood shipments for unsafe drug residues.
Therefore, the India Shrimp Tariff Act proposes to impose an increasing-time duty rate that will eventually equalize to the one imposed by the Indian government on US shrimp imports.
Senator Bill Cassidy of Louisiana sent a letter to the Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR) and USA Customs and Border Protection (CBP) that claimed Joshua Farinella petitions to investigate Indian practices.
Farinella, who worked as the general manager of a shrimp plant in Amalapuram, reported about potential violations of law by the Indian shrimp exporter concerning five different areas: the importation of goods produced through forced labor, the importation of illegally obtained fish products, the importation of seafood accompanied by fraudulent reporting about the requirements of the Seafood Import Monitoring Program (SIMP), the importation of adulterated seafood contaminated with banned veterinary drugs and claims made under the Best Aquaculture Practices (BAP) certification program regarding ensuring "that producers are following best practices to deliver farmed seafood safely and responsibly."
For all these reasons, Senator Cassidy indicates that "he has advocated strongly for the exclusion of Indian shrimp from US markets."
Regarding this, Williams expressed: "The American shrimp industry is grateful to Senator Cassidy for continuing to fearlessly and aggressively support commercial fishermen in Louisiana and across the country."
The Corporate Accountability Lab (CAL) published a report denouncing that human rights, forced and child labor and environmental abuses in Indian shrimp sector continue to occur partly due to a regulation lack from the Indian and U.S. governments.
In more detail, John Williams, Executive Director of the Southern Shrimp Alliance, expressed: "We encourage every member of Congress who represents shrimpers, or who cares about the food put on the plates of Americans, to support the India Shrimp Tariff Act."
Senator Cassidy has taken advantage of the situation to recalled Farinella's claims: "This makes clear why Indian shrimp does not belong on the shelf alongside Louisiana shrimp . . . Indian shrimp relies on forced labor and is pumped full of illegal antibiotics."
In addition, the Executive Director of the Southern Shrimp Alliance said: "While we have gone to work for the last forty years with the federal government on our shoulders watching our every move, our government rolled out the red carpet to foreign industries to sell into this market.
"Rather than hold us to the same standard, the US shrimp industry is stunned to see federal agencies propose backtracking on the minimal requirements that have been demanded on foreign seafood suppliers," he concluded.
