American Seafood Distributors protests shrimp law suit
The American Seafood Distributors Association (ASDA) issued a press release on Wednesday, saying that they vigorously oppose the antidumping petitions filed against exporters of shrimp from six countries. The US Southern Shrimp Alliance filed a petition to the Trade Department and the US International Trade Commission alleging exporters from Thailand, China, Viet Nam, India, Brazil and Ecuador of selling shrimp at lower prices than they are sold in their home market. “We look forward to the opportunity to explain to the International Trade Commission in the coming weeks why continuing access to imported shrimp is essential to the financial well-being of literally thousands of American businesses and individuals who are employed by those businesses", according to Wally Stevens, ASDA President. The inescapable truth is that, even if successful, this case will not generate a single additional pound of domestic shrimp sales because the Gulf of Mexico and South Atlantic shrimp fisheries are being fished to their maximum capacity right now, he added. "Shrimp is the nation’s most popular seafood, and shrimp consumption is expected to continue to expand rapidly, according to a recent report by the USDA. Since about 90 percent of all shrimp is imported, it is essential that trade not be restricted", according to Stevens. Moreover, shrimp is an engine of economic growth in many developing countries around the world. These countries can produce shrimp at a much lower cost through farming than can domestic fishermen, who face very high and rapidly increasing fuel, gear, and labor costs. According to Stevens, “The domestic shrimp industry has failed to anticipate the dramatic change in production methods from fishing to farming. Readily available farmed imported shrimp has become an alternative ‘center of the plate’ source of protein, just like beef and poultry. Shrimp is price-competitive with beef and poultry, which provides a tremendous benefit to the consumer.” These benefits will be lost if artificial antidumping duties are imposed under highly technical rules administered by the Commerce Department. Stevens added, “ASDA has apparently failed in its longstanding effort to convince domestic shrimp producers that they need to position their product in the market place as something other than a ‘commodity’ because domestic-ocean caught shrimp simply cannot compete in a commodity market against farm-raised imported shrimp. As a result, ASDA’s members have no choice but to fight to preserve their right to import shrimp and preserve those American jobs that imported shrimp has created.”
Vietnam Agency - (02/01/2004)
http://www.vneconomy.com.vn/en_index.php?action=preview&cat=08&id=040102091125