More than three million dollars has been allocated to collect anti-dumping duties from countries that illegally dump shrimp, crawfish and other seafood. Photo: Ed Lallo/Newsroom Ink
by Senator Landrieu staff
More than three million dollars has been allocated to collect anti-dumping duties from countries that illegally dump shrimp, crawfish and other seafood into U.S. markets from Department of Homeland Security funding.
Senator Mary L. Landrieu, Chairman of the Senate Appropriations Homeland Security Subcommittee, has directed the illegal dumping funds also require Customs and Border Protection to work with the Departments of Commerce, Justice, and Treasury to increase collection of anti-dumping and countervailing duties for unfairly traded imports, including shrimp and crawfish meat from China.
Senator Mary L. Landrieu wants an increase in collection of anti-dumping and countervailing duties for unfairly traded imports, including shrimp and crawfish meat from China. Photo: Sen. Landieu
“Foreign governments continue to unfairly spend hundreds of millionsof dollars to dump underpriced shrimp into the United States and put our shrimpers, crawfishermen and seafood producers at an unfair disadvantage. This funding will beef up our efforts to punish those who cheat the market and our seafood producers,” Sen. Landrieu said. “I will continue to use this committee to protect these jobs, a time-honored way of life, and the thousands of shrimpers who call the Gulf Coast home.”
The Louisiana Senator has long-fought to protect and support the Gulf’s seafood industry. According to John Williams, Executive Director of the Southern Shrimp Alliance, Senator Landrieu’s leadership in obtaining and maintaining trade remedies on dumped shrimp has played a vital role in the resurgence of the shrimp industry.
“Making sure that shrimp in the U.S. market is fairly traded is essential to the domestic shrimp industry,” he said. Unfortunately, many foreign producers and importers continue to cheat the law to bring cheap product into this market.
Landrieu’s support for greater enforcement and resources, including funding for the federal agencies responsible for policing circumvention is welcomed by the shrimp industry. The efforts to prevent and deter further import fraud, including making circumvention a point of emphasis in international trade negotiation is considered important its future.
Sen. Landrieu successfully led the effort in 2011 for the International Trade Commission to extend the antidumping tariffs on imported shrimp from Thailand, China, Vietnam, India and Brazil. The tariffs will continue on the import through 2016.
The Gulf coast is home to more than 2,000 crawfish farmers and fishermen who harvest more than 110 million pounds of crawfish each year, and contributing nearly $120 million in economic impact. It also supports over 20,000 jobs in the shrimping industry and contributes billions to local economies.
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