February 9, 2017

 

US rejects 8 shrimp shipments from Thailand, Vietnam, China in Jan.

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has refused eight shrimp entry lines due to banned drug residues during the first month of 2017, according to the Southern Shrimp Alliance. The alliance is an organisation of shrimp fishermen, shrimp processors and other members of the domestic industry in the eight warm-water shrimp-producing states of Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina and Texas.

 

The January figure was the highest in a month since August 2016. The eight shrimp entry lines were from Thailand, Vietnam and China.

 

Narong Seafood Co., Ltd. (Thailand), a company that has been on import alert for nitrofurans in its shrimp since June 13, 2016, had five entry lines refused for shrimp products contaminated with nitrofurans and veterinary drug residues--three of "shrimp and prawns", one of "shrimp chow mein dinners, mixed fishery/seafood products" and one of "stuffed pasta with shrimp (NEC), mixed fishery/seafood products".

 

Minh Phu Seafood Corp. (Vietnam), a company not currently on any import alert, had one entry line refused for shrimp contaminated with veterinary drug residues.

 

Ca Mau Seafood Processing & Service Joint Stock (Vietnam), a company that has been on Import Alert 16-124 for enrofloxacin in its shrimp since Dec. 8, 2016, had one entry line refused for shrimp contaminated with veterinary drug residues.

 

Jiachang Aquatic Product Co. Ltd. (China), a company that has not been exempted from an import alert, had one entry line refused for "seafood salad (shrimp, crab, etc.), mixed fishery/seafood products" contaminated with veterinary drug residues.

 

Unusual for Thai-origin shrimp

 

According to the Southern Shrimp Alliance, the number of entry lines refused in January for Thai-origin shrimp was quite unusual. Prior to that month, there had been only 17 entry lines of shrimp refused from Thailand due to banned antibiotics since 2002.  Fifteen of those 17 refusals took place in 2003. "In other words, in the thirteen years between 2004 and 2016, just two entry lines of shrimp from Thailand were refused by the FDA for reasons related to banned antibiotics", the alliance noted.

 

All five entry line refusals from Thailand were shipped from Narong Seafood, which has been certified under the Global Aquaculture Alliance's (GAA) Best Aquaculture Practices (BAP) programme as a one-star shrimp processing plant. The GAA's website indicates that Narong Seafood Company's BAP certification is valid until April 20, 2017, according to the Southern Shrimp Alliance.

 

"The entry line refusals for shrimp products shipped by Narong Seafood Co., Ltd. for reasons related to banned antibiotics are another unusual development for any Thai company", the alliance said.

 

 Graphs from Southern Shrimp Alliance