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Started By
Message
Crony Catfish
Posted on 8/13/14 at 9:42 pm
Posted on 8/13/14 at 9:42 pm
From Cato:
LINK
quote:
If you were looking for an example to show just how awful the legislative process is in Washington, the ongoing saga over catfish inspection is just perfect. On its face, the 2008 law requiring the U.S. Department of Agriculture to inspect catfish facilities seems relatively benign. Who doesn’t want safer catfish? In reality, though, the law has nothing to do with food safety and everything to do with supporting the Southern catfish industry at everyone else’s expense.
LINK
7
Posted on 8/13/14 at 9:46 pm to Big Scrub TX
I'm genuinely interested to see Deltaland's take on this.
Posted on 8/13/14 at 9:48 pm to Big Scrub TX
Same reason a lot of people in agriculture/aquaculture support government subsides is because it's the same government that driven up their costs that were they can't compete with foreign imports.
Posted on 8/13/14 at 9:48 pm to Big Scrub TX
There's a freedom loving small government poster on this board from MS who is a catfish farmer. A while back he was advocating the need for tariffs (taxes) on imported seafood.
As far as inspections go, he said it just put them all on the same playing field.
As far as inspections go, he said it just put them all on the same playing field.
Posted on 8/13/14 at 9:49 pm to stuntman
Just curious because the article didnt go into much detail, but wouldn't we want imported catfish to be tested (or whatever) to the same standards as US catfish ?
Posted on 8/13/14 at 9:50 pm to Big Scrub TX
Southern catfish farmers afraid of real competition, to the harm of their neighbor-customers, confirmed.
Posted on 8/13/14 at 9:54 pm to fleaux
quote:
wouldn't we want imported catfish to be tested (or whatever) to the same standards as US catfish ?
From article, regarding inspection program:
quote:
The USDA itself has said that catfish is a low risk food and can’t explain how its inspections will reduce that risk in any meaningful way. The Government Accountability Office has advised Congress to repeal the program.
Posted on 8/13/14 at 10:05 pm to 90proofprofessional
It's a low risk food regarding disease such as salmonella, which is all the FDA currently inspects the imports for. And they inspect less than 2%.
The new law will hold inspections on imports to the same standards that they have held domestically produced catfish for years. Which means USDA inspectors that go and inspect the farms themselves, inspect the processors and test a sample of the final products for not only disease, but illegal chemicals and antibiotics that private lab studies have proved numerous times to be present in foreign fish.
The Mekong River in Vietnam is one of the most polluted in the world and the farmers there pipe the water to their ponds, and it contains so much disease that they must dump antibiotics that the USDA bans for domestic farmers in order to keep their fish alive.
THe law will force the foreign farmers to adhere to our farming practices. If they don't, then the shipments will be sent back.
It simply holds the imports to the same inspection standards as domestic fish. If there's no violations like they claim then the law won't hurt them. They are fighting it because the lack of regulations on their farming practices make it easy for them and hard for us, and they know they'll lose a lot of exports when the law takes place. It's been passed and is law now, and will be fully implemented by next spring.
I go to farm bureau meetings and the general word is that once inspections start, 80% or more of imports won't meet standards and it could take up to a decade for them to build the infrastructure similar to ours to be able to meet the same standards we have to meet.
The new law will hold inspections on imports to the same standards that they have held domestically produced catfish for years. Which means USDA inspectors that go and inspect the farms themselves, inspect the processors and test a sample of the final products for not only disease, but illegal chemicals and antibiotics that private lab studies have proved numerous times to be present in foreign fish.
The Mekong River in Vietnam is one of the most polluted in the world and the farmers there pipe the water to their ponds, and it contains so much disease that they must dump antibiotics that the USDA bans for domestic farmers in order to keep their fish alive.
THe law will force the foreign farmers to adhere to our farming practices. If they don't, then the shipments will be sent back.
It simply holds the imports to the same inspection standards as domestic fish. If there's no violations like they claim then the law won't hurt them. They are fighting it because the lack of regulations on their farming practices make it easy for them and hard for us, and they know they'll lose a lot of exports when the law takes place. It's been passed and is law now, and will be fully implemented by next spring.
I go to farm bureau meetings and the general word is that once inspections start, 80% or more of imports won't meet standards and it could take up to a decade for them to build the infrastructure similar to ours to be able to meet the same standards we have to meet.
Posted on 8/13/14 at 10:11 pm to deltaland
delta, are there any current health problems associated w/ imported catfish?
Posted on 8/13/14 at 10:11 pm to deltaland
Why don't you assholes lobby to get your own regulations removed instead of doing something that will cause the price of delicious catfish to increase?
Oh I think I know the answer to this one.
Oh I think I know the answer to this one.
Posted on 8/13/14 at 10:12 pm to deltaland
So, in 10 years there will be no reason to buy domestic catfish when imported catfish is held to the same standard.
Posted on 8/13/14 at 10:18 pm to Asgard Device
quote:
So, in 10 years there will be no reason to buy domestic catfish when imported catfish is held to the same standard.
Having to adhere to regulations will increase their production costs and the price advantage will disappear. They're struggling now overseas anyways..disease is getting worse and is causing a fish shortage and a price hike, along with sales dropping in the US.
Vietnam is looking to latin America to move their fish to. I think it's part of the trade agreements going on with East Asia, Latin AMerica, and Russia since the Trans Pacific Partnership trade deal fell through between the US and Asia (largely due to catfish farmers, so you can thank us for ending that atrocity).
Posted on 8/13/14 at 10:19 pm to Big Scrub TX
This should be an IB Freeman vs Delta thread
Posted on 8/13/14 at 10:20 pm to Asgard Device
Just keep eating that imported bottom dweller for 10 years. We'll see how that works out for you. Antibiotics, Mercury, Lead etc.
Posted on 8/13/14 at 10:21 pm to deltaland
quote:
It's a low risk food regarding disease such as salmonella, which is all the FDA currently inspects the imports for.
quote:
, but illegal chemicals and antibiotics that private lab studies have proved numerous times to be present in foreign fish.
Vague + scary warnings as justification for regs => red flags
Often is cover (rhetorical only, and not even attempting to be quantitative) for regs that do not reduce real risk in proportion to their cost, but definitely effectively raise prices and/or absolutely gimp competition. J/s
Posted on 8/13/14 at 10:21 pm to Tiguar
quote:
Why don't you assholes lobby to get your own regulations removed
1. Media will complain about how we don't care about consumer safety and our main marketing campaing is about how our fish are healthy and safe to eat.
2. It's an unrealistic goal. They never repeal regulations..when was the last time regulations were reduced? Reagan? The regulations are largely applied across the board to most animal produces such as cattle and poultry too, so it's not just us and it's hard to get everyone on the same page to go against something because cattle and poultry has no foreign competition....yet. Poultry farmers are now starting to see the same issues with Chinese chicken and are singing the same tune we have been singing for a decade.
Posted on 8/13/14 at 10:23 pm to beachreb61
quote:
Antibiotics, Mercury, Lead etc.
Wouldn't this change after the inspection standards kick in? If not, then what's the point?
I pay extra for US catfish and Louisiana Shrimp because I perceive it as better quality.
This post was edited on 8/13/14 at 10:32 pm
Posted on 8/13/14 at 10:24 pm to deltaland
3. They influence them and like them being there.
Posted on 8/13/14 at 10:34 pm to 90proofprofessional
not the worst thing government does ... yeah, people should be able to make their own decisions ... but i'm ok with government saying "this fish has these problems/pollution/etc" ... i'd like to have that information when buying ... i'd probably buy american if price isn't too different, but i'd still like to know the difference in the fish ...
Posted on 8/13/14 at 10:47 pm to deltaland
quote:
deltaland
Freeman will be here soon to educate you on catfish farming.
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