Daijiworld Media Network - Washington
Washington, Oct 24: US President Donald Trump has announced a new labelling initiative to identify seafood produced in the United States, aiming to give domestic fishermen a competitive edge over foreign suppliers amid concerns over imports, environmental standards and the future of the country’s fishing industry.
The announcement was made at a Republican campaign rally in Fort Myers, Florida, where Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. accused foreign seafood producers of following environmentally destructive practices and competing with American fishermen under different regulatory standards.
Kennedy said the administration would introduce a label identifying seafood produced in the United States, enabling consumers to distinguish domestic products from imported alternatives.
“And today he’s announcing a label for all American made seafood that says it’s American made, so Americans can make a good choice,” Kennedy told supporters.
Trump presented the initiative as part of a broader effort to support the seafood industry along Florida’s Gulf Coast.
“Today, we’re also taking historic action to support an important industry here on the shores of the Gulf of America,” Trump said.
He then invited Kennedy to explain the measure, highlighting the Health Secretary’s longstanding involvement with commercial fishing communities.
Kennedy argued that American fishermen were subject to stringent environmental and sustainability regulations, putting them at a disadvantage when competing with foreign producers operating under different standards.
“Commercial fishermen in this country have the strongest environmental regulations. They have the greatest sustainability regulations but it puts them at a disadvantage to all the other fishermen in the world,” he said.
Kennedy specifically targeted shrimp production in Vietnam and Cambodia, alleging that some foreign operators were destroying mangrove ecosystems and using chemicals in ways that could make their products unacceptable in certain overseas markets.
He claimed that some producers enclosed mangrove swamps, poisoned fish and cultivated shrimp over several seasons until the surrounding environment was destroyed. He further alleged that shrimp produced under such conditions contained high levels of antibiotics and disinfectants.
“The shrimp are so loaded with antibiotics and disinfectants that no European country will take them,” Kennedy said.
He claimed that such products were subsequently shipped to the United States, forcing domestic shrimp producers to compete with lower-cost imports.
The allegations against foreign producers were not accompanied by supporting evidence in the remarks provided.
Kennedy also highlighted Fort Myers and Florida’s pink shrimp industry, describing the region as an important centre of American commercial fishing. He said the administration was working to rebuild fishing infrastructure and reopen markets for domestic producers.
The proposed label, he indicated, would help American consumers make more informed choices when purchasing seafood.
However, neither Trump nor Kennedy specified when the initiative would take effect, whether the label would be mandatory or voluntary, or which federal agency would oversee its implementation. They also did not clarify the production standards seafood would have to meet to qualify for the American-made designation.
Seafood labelling and country-of-origin requirements remain important trade issues, as they can influence consumer preferences, market access and compliance costs for producers.