Greenwood Commonwealth
Feds impose penalties for Vietnamese catfish dumping
After determining that Vietnamese exporters were dumping catfish fillets in the U.S., the Commerce Department this week slapped penalties on imports from that country.
The Commerce Department’s International Trade Administration determined that certain frozen catfish fillets from the Socialist Republic of Vietnam were sold in the U.S. for less than normal value during a one-year period beginning in August 2016.
Mississippi catfish producers had complained to their congressmen about the unfair trade practice used to drive down the price of catfish fillets, force other producers out of business and capture the market. The ITA found that Vietnamese companies continue to underprice their fillets, and the agency imposed penalties as high as $3.87 per kilogram on catfish fillet imports to the U.S.
U.S. Sens. Cindy Hyde-Smith and Roger Wicker, both Mississippi Republicans, praised the penalties.
“We are, at last, seeing the restoration of a level playing field for our catfish producers, who have had to fight unfair trade practices for years. The ITA determination is good news for our producers in Mississippi and other catfish-producing states,” said Hyde-Smith.
“This is a welcome decision for American consumers and our domestic catfish producers who raise high-quality fish for America’s dinner tables,” Wicker said. “I will continue working to ensure our nation’s trade laws are enforced and that Mississippi’s catfish farmers are not undercut by inferior and potentially dangerous foreign imports.”
A preliminary determination by the ITA in September recommended only nominal penalties on the Vietnamese companies, but congressional prodding of the agency resulted in further investigation and higher penalties for violators.
The U.S. Department of Agricultural Food Safety and Inspection Service issues catfish inspection requirements that only 13 Vietnamese companies have been able to meet in order to export catfish to U.S. markets