Vietnam Will Reconsider Agricultural Deal Under TPP if USDA Catfish Inspection Isn't Repealed
SEAFOODNEWS.COM [Politico] by David Rogers - May 19, 2015
The humble catfish is back on the Senate’s plate this week, and the stakes have never been higher — with a Pacific trade deal on the menu, too.
At issue is a new food safety inspection program tailored for catfish alone and first slipped into the 2008 farm bill on behalf of U.S. producers struggling to compete with a wave of imports from Vietnam and China. After years of foot-dragging, the Obama administration insists it is in the final stages of its rule-making on the issue. But the timing could not be more awkward since the White House is desperate to complete its Trans-Pacific Partnership pact first — without roiling the Asian pond.
Hanoi has already raised warnings that if the catfish program is not repealed, “Vietnam will have no choice but to balance out our agriculture offer to the U.S.” as part of the TPP talks. And the governments of Indonesia, Singapore and Malaysia have all backed Vietnam in saying the inspection system “clearly violates U.S. obligations” under World Trade Organization agreements...
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