ID :
27842
Sat, 11/01/2008 - 06:15
Auther :
Shortlink :
http://m.oananews.org//node/27842
The shortlink copeid
US farm bill to pose obstacles to Vietnamese "tra" fish exports
Hanoi (VNA) - In addition to an on-going anti-dumping lawsuit, Vietnam 's
tra catfish fillets are likely to face new barriers to their entry into the
US market if the 2008 Farm Bill is adopted.
Vietnamese Association of Seafood Exporters and Producers (VASEP) Vice
Chairman Nguyen Huu Dung said the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) is
working on the Farm Bill, which includes provisions designed to restrict the
import of tra catfish fillets from Vietnam .
The bill extends the definition of "catfish" to include tra fish originating
from Vietnam , and moves tra catfish into the list of products managed by
the USDA, instead of the US Food and Drug Administration (US FDA), who
currently manages the import of tra.
Dung said that, once the new regulations are applied, the import of Vietnam
's tra fillets will be controlled as tightly as the import of meat products
into the US . Currently, only 34 countries have met the standards for
meat exports to the US market, all of them developed nations.
To protect domestic catfish production, the US Congress previously passed a
bill regarding catfish labelling, under which the USDA does not consider
Vietnamese tra as catfish, therefore the Vietnamese product is not permitted
to be labelled as "catfish" when exported to the US, according to VASEP.
As a result, Vietnamese tra products have been sold separately to US
catfish. The law has helped the US to rally its ailing catfish
production industry.
The 2008 Farm Bill will be announced for recommendations in early 2009 and
promulgated 18 months after it is approved.
Describing the bill as a "very dangerous move" for Vietnam 's tra and basa
catfish processing and exports, the VASEP official urged the government, the
Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, and the Ministry of Industry
and Trade to lobby the US to remove obstacles to Vietnamese tra fillet
exports.
Tra and basa catfish have become two of Vietnam 's key export staples,
with export turnover exceeding 1 billion USD in the first nine months of
2008 and estimated to reach a total of 1.5 billion USD by the end of this
year. The products are now available in over 100 countries and territories
around the world with a total market comprising billions of
consumers.-Enditem
tra catfish fillets are likely to face new barriers to their entry into the
US market if the 2008 Farm Bill is adopted.
Vietnamese Association of Seafood Exporters and Producers (VASEP) Vice
Chairman Nguyen Huu Dung said the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) is
working on the Farm Bill, which includes provisions designed to restrict the
import of tra catfish fillets from Vietnam .
The bill extends the definition of "catfish" to include tra fish originating
from Vietnam , and moves tra catfish into the list of products managed by
the USDA, instead of the US Food and Drug Administration (US FDA), who
currently manages the import of tra.
Dung said that, once the new regulations are applied, the import of Vietnam
's tra fillets will be controlled as tightly as the import of meat products
into the US . Currently, only 34 countries have met the standards for
meat exports to the US market, all of them developed nations.
To protect domestic catfish production, the US Congress previously passed a
bill regarding catfish labelling, under which the USDA does not consider
Vietnamese tra as catfish, therefore the Vietnamese product is not permitted
to be labelled as "catfish" when exported to the US, according to VASEP.
As a result, Vietnamese tra products have been sold separately to US
catfish. The law has helped the US to rally its ailing catfish
production industry.
The 2008 Farm Bill will be announced for recommendations in early 2009 and
promulgated 18 months after it is approved.
Describing the bill as a "very dangerous move" for Vietnam 's tra and basa
catfish processing and exports, the VASEP official urged the government, the
Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, and the Ministry of Industry
and Trade to lobby the US to remove obstacles to Vietnamese tra fillet
exports.
Tra and basa catfish have become two of Vietnam 's key export staples,
with export turnover exceeding 1 billion USD in the first nine months of
2008 and estimated to reach a total of 1.5 billion USD by the end of this
year. The products are now available in over 100 countries and territories
around the world with a total market comprising billions of
consumers.-Enditem
