Washington, Oct 24 (IANS) US President Donald Trump has announced a new labelling initiative to identify American-produced seafood, seeking to give domestic fishermen a competitive advantage over foreign suppliers amid growing concerns about imports, environmental standards and the future of the country’s fishing industry.
The announcement came at a Republican campaign rally in Fort Myers, Florida, where Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. accused foreign seafood producers of using environmentally destructive practices and selling products in the United States under conditions that disadvantage American fishermen.
Kennedy said the administration would introduce a label identifying seafood produced in the United States, allowing consumers to distinguish domestic products from imported alternatives.
“And today he’s announcing a label for all American made seafood that says it’s American made, so Americans can make a good choice,” Kennedy told supporters.
Trump introduced the initiative as part of a broader effort to support the seafood industry along Florida’s Gulf Coast.
“Today, we’re also taking historic action to support an important industry here on the shores of the Gulf of America,” Trump said.
He invited Kennedy to explain the measure, praising his longstanding involvement with commercial fishing communities.
Kennedy said American fishermen were subject to stringent environmental and sustainability regulations that placed them at a disadvantage when competing against foreign producers operating under different standards.
“Commercial fishermen in this country have the strongest environmental regulations. They have the greatest sustainability regulations but it puts them at a disadvantage to all the other fishermen in the world,” he said.
The Health Secretary singled out shrimp production in Vietnam and Cambodia, alleging that some foreign operators were destroying mangrove ecosystems and using chemicals that would make their products unacceptable in certain overseas markets.
Kennedy claimed that some producers enclosed mangrove swamps, poisoned fish and cultivated shrimp over several seasons until the surrounding environment was destroyed.
He further alleged that shrimp produced under such conditions contained high levels of antibiotics and disinfectants.
“The shrimp are so loaded with antibiotics and disinfectants that no European country will take them,” Kennedy said.
He claimed those products were subsequently shipped to the United States, where domestic shrimp producers were forced to compete against lower-cost imports.
The allegations against foreign producers were not accompanied by supporting evidence in the supplied remarks.
Kennedy specifically highlighted Fort Myers and Florida’s pink shrimp industry, describing the region as an important centre of American commercial fishing.
He said the administration was working to rebuild fishing infrastructure and reopen markets for domestic producers.
The proposed label, he suggested, would give American consumers a clearer choice when purchasing seafood.
Neither Trump nor Kennedy specified when the labelling initiative would take effect, whether it would be mandatory or voluntary, or which federal agency would oversee its implementation.
They also did not explain what production standards would qualify seafood for the American-made designation.
Seafood labelling and country-of-origin requirements are significant trade issues because they can influence consumer preferences, market access and compliance costs.
–IANS
lkj/rs
