Senate Fails to Eliminate Duplicate Catfish Inspections

When members of the Senate debated the 2013 Farm Bill, theu were faced with many difficult choices.  Senators from rural states were naturally protective of their farming constituents when crop insurance was debated. Senators representing urban areas were sensitive to the cuts in the Food Stamp program (for TPA’s work on the Food Stamp issue click here).  But, there was absolutely no excuse for the Senate failing to eliminate a United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) program that would duplicate efforts to inspect catfish already in place in the Food & Drug Administration (FDA). This USDA program wastes $30 million in taxpayer funds annually and provides no food safety benefit whatsoever.

The USDA and FDA consider catfish to be a low-risk food – and there has been just one instance of salmonella during the course of the FDA’s inspection. As such, it’s pretty clear that this is a protectionist measure put in place by the catfish lobby to raise the cost and increase barriers to market for foreign catfish.  Such a law can be considered protectionism and might open U.S. industry to retaliatory efforts by foreign governments.

In a bad twist of fate for taxpayers, the amendment eliminating this duplicate program was the only amendment that passed during the Senate’s Farm Bill debate last year that was not included in the final bill. Senator John McCain (R-Ariz.), one of the authors of the amendment, said, “For the past three weeks, we’ve asked for a vote on our amendment to repeal this absurd catfish program. […] This is one fishy deal we need to fry on behalf of the American taxpayer and we’re demanding a vote.”

Even though the Senate absolutely blew it, there are still two opportunities  for the duplicative USDA catfish program to be eliminated as the Farm Bill moves through the legislative process. The first opportunity comes as the House of Representatives debates and votes on the bill later this summer. An amendment sponsored by Rep. Vicky Hartzler (R-Mo.) passed the House Agriculture Committee by a 31-15 vote in mid-May signaling that the House may be in a prime position to end the program.

If the House passes a different version of the Farm Bill – even if it does not contain the catfish amendment – the language can be added when the House and Senate get together in their final conference. There, the two bodies will work out the differences so each can vote on identical bills. The cost of the program – both in pure fiscal terms and in potential trade retaliation – is too high. Congress needs to act this year to end this duplicate program.  A little common sense can go a long way.