The Brazilian Association of Shrimp Breeders (ABCC) filed a public civil action before the court to try to stop the Argentinean shrimp (Pleoticus muelleri) entry in the Brazilian market.
The lawsuit was filed in the Eighth Federal Court in Brasilia on 27 May, and was assigned to the federal judge Márcio de França Moreira. At the moment, it is unknown when the Court will issue its judgement.
The ABCC insists that the entry of foreign shrimp will affect the domestic production. The import of shrimp has been prohibited since 1999, but in December last year, an Import Risk Analysis (IRA) allowed the opening of the Brazilian market for the Argentinean wild shrimp.
According to the information released by the Ministry of Fisheries and Agriculture (MPA), the volume of imports will reach 5,000 tonnes per year.
The Brazilian government thinks that such import will not impact on the domestic industry, amounting to 100,000 annually, Tribuna do Norte reported.
But ABCC President, Itamar Rocha, argues that "the consequences would be disastrous for the fishing industry in Brazil, and for shrimp farming in particular."
The leader warned that the risks for the entry of viral diseases "are real and catastrophic for the Brazilian fishing economy" and also questioned the ability of the technicians responsible for performing the RIAs.
"One of the highlights worth reflecting as to this action relates to the curricula of the ARI mentors, since no team member has experience dealing with these crustaceans," and still the import of specimens has been authorised, sentenced Rocha.
According to the shrimp leader, the masterminds of the analysis of the Argentinean shrimp "have a conglomeration of knowledge regarding calf’s diarrhea, cat’s surgery, pig’s food and mouth disease , alcohol production, tuberculosis vaccine and brucellosis in cattle," but it is not enough to really analyze the risks of shrimp’s pathogens entry.
Meanwhile, the executive secretary of the MPA, Atila Maia, stated the intention of the introduction is to make the product more accessible to the consumer.
"There are 200 million [people] who want to eat shrimp at least once a month. But they do not do so because the price is too high," said the official, Noar Portal reported.