US Senate votes to end catfish inspection program
(VOVworld) – The US Senate voted 55 to 43 on Wednesday to scrap a catfish inspection program carried out by the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) since late 2015. US Senators argued that the USDA program is wasteful, duplicative, unnecessary, and might result in a World Trade Organization (WTO) lawsuit that could harm the US agricultural exports. Senator John McCain said the USDA program was intended to protect catfish producers in the southern states by raising barriers against catfish imports from Vietnam and other nations.
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| Catfish farming in Vietnam (Photo: vneconomy) |
The bill still needs House of Representatives approval and President Obama’s signature to take effect.
On December 2, 2015, the USDA announced tightened catfish regulations. Observers said these regulations would affect both foreign and domestic catfish producers and that it would cost the local industry millions of dollars to follow the new regulations.