House Republican Introduces Bill for More Seafood Import Inspections
A bill that would require 20% of all imported seafood to be tested and also require testing for the first 15 shipments from new seafood exporters was introduced by Rep. Clay Higgins, R-La. The Imported Seafood Safety Standards Act, introduced Aug. 19, has no co-sponsors; it is quite similar to a bill Higgins introduced in February with one Democratic co-sponsor. It is also the same as a bill Higgins introduced in 2018 (see 1806280011).
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The type of testing is not spelled out in the bill, which says the testing regime is covered under Section 801 of the Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act.
The bill says that if one shipment fails to meet the testing requirements, the next 15 shipments will be tested, and if they all pass, the enhanced testing can end. However, if more than three shipments fail to meet inspection requirements within a year, no exports from that party will be allowed to enter for a year.
Exports would be allowed to resume only if the U.S. government certifies that the exporter is complying with U.S. standards for seafood manufacturing, processing and holding.
Fees would be increased on seafood exports to cover the cost of this inspection service. Seafood imports would be limited to ports of entry where the workers have been trained to conduct the testing and inspection of seafood.