Senate Shrimp Supporters Move to Protect U.S. Shrimpers from Illegal Imports
SSA thanks and congratulates Senator Thad Cochran (R-MS), powerful Chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee, for once again championing the best interests of the domestic shrimp industry by including a provision in his FY 2018 Appropriations bill to ensure that the federal Seafood Import Monitoring Program (SIMP) will cover all shrimp imports. This provision was also shepherded by the Appropriations […]
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Southern Shrimp Alliance Strongly Supports Executive Order on Duty Collection
This morning the President issued an Executive Order calling upon U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) to improve the collection of duties assessed on imports of merchandise into the United States. CBP has previously reported that it has been unable to collect over $2 billion in assessed antidumping duties. The U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) has reported that these uncollected […]
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Southern Shrimp Alliance Applauds the U.S. Trade Representative’s WTO Challenge to Chinese Export Subsidies
In a press release issued today, the Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR) announced that the U.S. government is pursuing dispute settlement consultations with the Chinese government at the World Trade Organization (WTO) to address China’s “Demonstration Bases-Common Service Platform.” The USTR’s investigation into the “Demonstration Bases-Common Service Platform” program indicates that certain companies participating as Demonstration […]
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Southern Shrimp Alliance Submits Comments Supporting the Recommendations Proposed by the President’s Task Force on IUU Fishing and Seafood Fraud
In December, the President’s Task Force on Combating Illegal, Unreported, and Unregulated Fishing and Seafood Fraud issued fifteen (15) recommendations “for the implementation of a comprehensive framework of integrated programs to combat IUU fishing and seafood fraud that emphasizes areas of greatest need.” The Task Force invited the public to provide comments regarding the proposed recommendations. In response to this […]
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Senator Landrieu’s Enforcement Efforts Huge Boost to Shrimp Industry
Last week, the Senate Committee on Appropriations submitted a report regarding the Department of Homeland Security Appropriations Bill, 2015 (S. 2534) emphasizing the importance of trade law enforcement. The report: Directs U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) to dedicate $3 million to develop an automated system for the administration and oversight of Single Transaction Bonds (STBs); Instructs CBP […]
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Early Mortality Syndrome
Today the Southern Shrimp Alliance sent a letter to USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack, Acting Commerce Secretary Rebecca Blank and FDA Commissioner Margaret Hamburg to raise alarm over the potential effects and spread of a disease currently devastating shrimp farms in southeast Asia. http://www.shrimpalliance.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/Early-Mortality-Syndrome.pdf Little is known about this disease, described as “Early Mortality Syndrome”, which causes 100 percent mortality in affected shrimp ponds. Only […]
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Southern Shrimp Alliance Submits Report on Labor Abuses in Bangladesh’s Farmed-Shrimp Industry
Today, the Southern Shrimp Alliance formally filed a report entitled “Know Your Supplier: Labor Abuses in Bangladesh’s Farmed-Shrimp Industry” with the Generalized System of Preferences (GSP) Subcommittee of the Trade Policy Staff Committee (TPSC). The submission, filed through the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR), responds to the announcement that the TPSC is currently reviewing Bangladesh’s eligibility for GSP benefit. The […]
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1 Comment on Southern Shrimp Alliance Submits Report on Labor Abuses in Bangladesh’s Farmed-Shrimp IndustryLetter to USTR
Congressional Letter Urges U.S. Trade Representative to Address Seafood Safety Issues in Trade Negotiations Today, Representatives Rosa DeLauro (D-CT), Walter Jones (R-N.C.), and Senator Mary Landrieu sent a joint bipartisan letter to the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR), Ronald Kirk, urging his office to tackle seafood safety problems in ongoing negotiations over the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) Free Trade Agreement. The Congressional […]
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Food Safety and the Proposed Trans-Pacific Partnership
Last September, Rep. Rosa DeLauro (CT-3) sent a letter to the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) stressing the importance of safeguarding consumer health in negotiations for the proposed Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) Free Trade Agreement. Rep. DeLauro explained that food safety concerns were of particular importance “as certain TPP countries have major seafood export industries with whom significant food safety issues have […]