“Another bizarre handout in this Farm Bill is the creation of a Catfish Office inside the U.S. Department of Agriculture. At a cost of $15 million a year, USDA will hire inspectors to visually inspect catfish in seafood facilities – and only catfish.
“Senator Shaheen and I (and 11 other Senators) have sponsored legislation to kill this catfish program. In 2012, our legislation was adopted in the Senate by voice vote. Last year, the House Agriculture Committee passed a bi-partisan amendment to repeal it in the Farm Bill. Despite all of this opposition, the unpopular Catfish Office resiliently survived conference!
“Americans do not need a new USDA catfish inspection program. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) already tests catfish along with all other seafood. But certain Farm Bill conferees are insisting on creating a Catfish Office because catfish farmers in southern states don’t want to compete against foreign catfish importers. Its true purpose is trade protectionism at the taxpayer’s expense. Under this Farm Bill, there will be a virtual ban on catfish imports for several years while foreign inspectors switch from FDA’s inspection procedures to USDA’s catfish procedures.
“The GAO investigated the proposed Catfish Office and in four different reports called it ‘duplicative and wasteful’ and warned that it ‘fragments our food safety system’ by spitting FDA’s responsibility to inspect seafood. In fact, one GAO report simply titled, ‘Responsibility for Inspecting Catfish Should Not Be Assigned to USDA’ called on Congress to eliminate the Catfish Office. Both USDA and FDA have questioned the scientific value of the proposed Catfish. Several years ago, USDA studied the idea and concluded, ‘There is substantial uncertainty regarding the actual effectiveness of a [USDA] catfish inspection program.’ Even the President’s Budget proposed to zero it out.
“American consumers should also be concerned about the trade implications of this program. Some nations, including Vietnam, have threatened WTO retaliation against American agriculture exports, like beef and soybeans. Trade experts warn that this catfish gimmick is the kind of protectionism that harms our efforts to win concessions under trade agreement negotiations like the Trans Pacific Partnership, which could reduce tariffs on American products sold to Asian trading partners.
“Again, Senator Shaheen and I tried to eliminate the Catfish Office in the Senate’s Farm Bill, but the managers blocked a vote on our amendment. The House Agriculture Committee did the right thing and passed a Farm Bill amendment to eliminate it. Unfortunately when this bill went to conference, several Senate conferees blocked a vote in conference to repeal it and actually rewrote the law to fortify it.
“Mr. President, it seems that catfish is one bottom feeder with friends in high places.
“Mr. President, at the end of the day, this Farm Bill will be hailed by its supporters as reform-minded. Let me assure the American public that it is hardly reform. It was managed under a closed-amendment process and will prove to be more wasteful and costly than any Farm Bill we’ve seen to date. For these reasons, I urge my colleagues to join me in opposing this bill.”
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) Currently, Da Nang City has no fishing vessels detained, sanctioned by foreign authorities, or criminally prosecuted for IUU fishing violations. Patrols, monitoring of marine fishing activities, and handling of violations have been prioritized by competent forces, significantly reducing nearshore fishing infringements.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) According to statistics from Vietnam Customs, Vietnam’s tuna exports to Israel in the first nine months of 2025 reached just over USD 27 million, down as much as 49% compared to the same period in 2024. This is a steep and prolonged decline for many consecutive months, reflecting changes in import demand as well as shifts in the supply structure of this market.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) The first 700 tons of Vietnamese tilapia ordered and imported by JBS Group will initially be distributed through supermarket chains, the Horeca network and JBS’s product showrooms in Brazil.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) In October 2025, Vietnam’s pangasius exports hit $217 million, representing an 8% increase compared to the same month in 2024. For the first 10 months of the year, total export value has surpassed $1.8 billion, up 9% year-on-year. This growth demonstrates clear positive momentum for the pangasius industry, despite continued declines in certain markets.
In recent days, the Central provinces of Vietnam have been suffering from historic flooding, with prolonged heavy rains, landslides, flash floods, and deep inundation causing extremely serious impacts on tens of thousands of households, as well as many VASEP member exporters located in the region. With the spirit of mutual support and solidarity, and in order to promptly assist residents and member exporters in the affected areas to stabilize their lives and restore production activities, VASEP calls on all seafood exporters, organizations, and individuals to extend supports to the people and member exporters in the flood-hit areas. We urge timely and practical material and spiritual contributions to help member exporters and local communities in the severely affected provinces overcome this difficult period.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) In the final days of October 2025, Vietnam’s domestic raw shrimp market remained generally stable, though slight adjustments were recorded in several sizes across key farming regions.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) Vietnam’s shrimp exports reached USD 498 million in October 2025, up 26% from the same period last year. This is one of the highest monthly revenues since the beginning of the year, reflecting solid demand in major markets and faster shipment schedules by exporters. From January to October, shrimp export value reached USD 3.9 billion, up 22% compared to the same period in 2024.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) On October 31, 2025, the US Court of International Trade (CIT) officially issued an order to suspend the case filed by the National Fisheries Institute (NFI), the National Restaurant Association (NRA), and several US seafood companies against the US Government concerning the implementation of the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA).
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) An Giang’s fisheries sector has maintained stable growth momentum during the first nine months of 2025, making an important contribution to the province’s socio-economic development. Despite facing numerous challenges, the province is implementing various measures to enhance production efficiency, expand markets, and promote sustainable fisheries development toward deeper integration into the global economy.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) Vietnam’s pangasius export value in September 2025 reached USD 181 million, up 5% compared to the same period in 2024. The overall trend for the pangasius industry remains positive, with total exports in the first nine months of 2025 reaching nearly USD 1.6 billion, an increase of 9% year-on-year.
VASEP - HIỆP HỘI CHẾ BIẾN VÀ XUẤT KHẨU THỦY SẢN VIỆT NAM
Chịu trách nhiệm: Ông Nguyễn Hoài Nam - Phó Tổng thư ký Hiệp hội
Đơn vị vận hành trang tin điện tử: Trung tâm VASEP.PRO
Trưởng Ban Biên tập: Bà Phùng Thị Kim Thu
Giấy phép hoạt động Trang thông tin điện tử tổng hợp số 138/GP-TTĐT, ngày 01/10/2013 của Bộ Thông tin và Truyền thông
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