A barbed fight between key Republicans over which agency should inspect catfish imports is roiling congressional waters Wednesday with a new campaign suggesting that the tasty whitefish from countries like Vietnam are filled with drugs, carcinogens and even formaldehyde.
The Catfish Farmers of America stepped up their bid to have the Agriculture Department take the inspections over from the Food and Drug Administration, claiming that the better-funded USDA does a superior job and inspects far more imports than the FDA.
A new TV and YouTube ad from the group shows a mom and her daughter buying catfish from Vietnam.
As she grimaces, potential poisons in the fish are also run over the checkout barcode machine as the announcer says, “Catfish from Asia has been proven to contain cancer-causing chemicals. Unapproved drugs. Industrial waste. Even formaldehyde.”
Chad Causey, spokesman for the Catfish Farmers of America, said, “Americans have a right to a safe and wholesome food supply. The FDA was only able to inspect 2 percent of imported catfish, but under the USDA program 100 percent of catfish are inspected.”
The two agencies have been caught in a GOP fight over inspection. Congress OK’d the shift from FDA to USDA, but some conservatives charged that it was a waste of money, claiming that FDA did a good enough job despite spending $700,000 to USDA’s catfish inspection budget of $14 million.
The Senate, led by Arizona’s John McCain, voted to kill the USDA program, which recently took over from FDA.
Last month, when the Senate voted, McCain said, “A majority of my colleagues on this side of the aisle who call themselves fiscal conservatives have said, ‘Well, we want to keep this duplicative program.” But, he added, “then don’t come to the floor and call yourself a fiscal conservative if you’re willing to spend $14 million a year that is not needed and not wanted and is clearly duplicative and is earmarked for a special interest, the catfish industry in southern states.”
The fight has now turned to the House and the association with southern fish farming states and Mississippi lawmakers are mounting a huge campaign to keep USDA in charge. They’ve even won the endorsement of the National Association of Federal Veterinarians, which said,
Explained Causey, “The House of Representatives has an important responsibility to continue the USDA inspection program of domestic catfish and imported catfish like products. These inspections will keep American families safe from harmful toxins readily found in imported products that went previously undetected by the FDA. This means that for the first time, foreign‐bred catfish‐like products will be held to the same standards as U.S. home‐grown catfish.”
For proof the USDA is considered a tougher judge, there were reports this week that a ship carrying Chinese catfish turned back instead of facing USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service, according to U.S. government officials.
Paul Bedard, the Washington Examiner’s “Washington Secrets” columnist, can be contacted at [email protected]
