Food & Water Watch: TPP and Imported Fish - 2013

www.foodandwaterwatch.org

Trans-Pacific Partnership: Increasing the Gusher of Risky, Imported Fish

Tony Corbo

Senior Lobbyist

Food & Water Watch

Washington, DC

November 7, 2013

Shrimp aquaculture, Vietnam, FAO

Total Fish & Seafood Imports (imports in billions of pounds)


2.8 2.9

2.8 2.8 2.9

3.0 3.0

3.2

3.5

3.7 3.8

3.9

4.2

4.6 4.7

4.9

5.1 5.1 5.0 5.0

5.2 5.2 5.2

NAFTA,

Israel FTA

WTO China PNTR,

Vietnam FTA

China enters WTO,

Jordan FTA

Peru FTA

Oman FTA Bahrain FTA, Morocco FTA

El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras

and Nicaragua ratify CAFTA

Costa Rica

joins CAFTA

Dominican Republic

enacts CAFTA

Colombia FTA;

Panama FTA,

South Korea FTA

Singapore FTA

Australia FTA

imports rose 76 percent 1995-2010 (post-NAFTA/WTO), compared to 46% increase 1980-1995 (data not shown)

Total TPP Fish & Seafood Imports (millions of pounds)


977 1,015

1,125

1,246 1,227 1,289

1,406

1,524 1,560

1,525 1,539 1,522 1,539 1,550 1,472 1,441

1,581

1,699

Source: USDA Foreign Agriculture Service

TPP fish and seafood imports constitute one-third of all U.S. imports

TPP Import Share of U.S. Consumption (2011 data, catfish 2010)


18.6%

40.1%

49.8% 50.5%

74.5%

Two out of

Five

Salmon

Every other Crab and

Catfish

Three out

of Four

Lobsters

Source: USDA FAS, Commerce Dept., NMFS

One in

Five

Shrimp

TPP Shrimp Imports (millions of pounds)


57.6 68.7

76.5

105.3 102.5 106.5

125.4 118.3 124.4

161.4

178.6

204.5 199.5

227.3 236.2

257.2

277.5

249.8

233.9

257.0

223.8


TPP Catfish Imports (millions of pounds)



0.2 0.1 0.2 0.7 2.2 7.1 17.1

9.6 4.3 6.6 19.5

44.7 40.6

55.5

87.3

109.5

188.8

227.7

TPP Catfish Imports and Real Catfish Price (price in 2012 dollars per pound, imports in millions of pounds)


Source: USDA Foreign Agriculture Service, National Agricultural Statistical Service

0.2 0.1 0.2 0.7 2.2 7.1

17.1 9.6

4.3 6.6

19.5

44.7 40.6

55.5

87.3

109.5

188.8

227.7

TPP Lobster Imports (all types) (millions of pounds)


49.1 48.7

54.3 54.9

67.2

79.7 81.0

86.4 83.4

79.7 79.4 81.9

75.1

80.7 79.3

90.7 95.8

104.1


TPP Crab Imports (millions of pounds)


26.3

36.0

50.1

63.1

88.8 90.8

122.5 123.9

131.4

139.7

121.5 123.4 130.5

119.0

130.2

107.3 102.9 103.7


TPP crab imports represent about half of all crab imports to the United States.

TPP Salmon Imports (millions of pounds)


139 167

214 237

224

275

352

417 399 396

433 427 421 407

313

262

308

428


Average Annual Growth in

Imported Seafood 1995-2012


3.7% 4.3%

9.0%

4.8% 5.0%

9.8%


FDA Seafood Border Inspectors (Full-time equivalent)


Source: F&WW/FDA Workplans

70 70

103 104 101 100

80 83

92 90 *

* 2011 figure represents budgetary request.

Annual Fish Examined Per Inspector (millions of pounds)


47.4 47.4

52.0 54.1

62.7 59.5

56.5 57.9

Source: USDA FAS; F&WW/FDA Workplans

*

* 2011 figure represents budgetary request.


FDA Seafood Inspection &

Laboratory Sample Rate (Percentage of shipments)

1.23% 1.25% 1.17% 1.34%

1.20%

0.88% 0.64%

0.68% 0.59%

Source: F&WW/FDA

*

* 2007 figure includes border and laboratory inspections

FDA Fish Refusals for Illegal Antibiotics,

Drugs & Chemicals from TPP Countries


6

14

32 37

19

52 54

88

20

49

58

Source: F&WW analysis of FDA data

Chemicals Tested for by FDA


Chemical Year FDA

Started

Testing

Human Health

Hazards

Common

Aquaculture Fish

Chloramphenicol

(AB)

2002 Aplastic anemia,

potential carcinogen,

antibiotic resistance

Shrimp, crab,

crayfish

Nitrofurans (AB) 2004 Potential carcinogen,

antibiotic resistance

Shrimp

Quinolones (AB) 2003/2004 Antibiotic resistance Catfish, salmon,

shrimp, tilapia

Malachite Green

(AF)

2005 Potential carcinogen Catfish, eel, salmon

Gentian Violet (AF) 2006 Potential carcinogen Catfish, eel, salmon

All Vietnamese Catfish, Majority of

Shrimp Farms Use Banned Chemicals


Source: Rico et al. 2013

100%

68%

79%

63%

Percent of Fish Farms Using Antibiotics, Disinfectants, Parasiticides

Banned substances at Vietnamese

catfish farms included:

Enrofloxacin Penicillins

Doxycycline Rifamycins

Cephalosporins Anonoglycosides

Quinolones Amphenicols

Polymyxin Diaminopyrimidines

PLUS carcinogens

Malachite green and Crystal violet

Other Food Safety Issues

“Harmonization” and “equivalence” privatized meat inspection in U.S. and abroad

USDA certified equivalent privatized inspection beef plants exported tainted meat (Washington Post, 9/20/13)

USDA rejected 11 shipments of Australian beef for visible fecal matter in past 2 years;

Canadian plant exported 2.2 million pounds of e-coli tainted ground beef in 2012

In U.S., 3 of 5 hog processing plants in pilot privatized inspection among “10 worst offenders” for health and safety violations (Washington Post, 9-8-13)

Government & Nonprofit

Food & Water Watch: TPP and Imported Fish - 2013