SHRIMP NEWS INTERNACIONAL 2013/6/25

June 13, 2013

Brazil

Shrimp Farmers Try to Block Imports ofBoat-Caught Shrimp from Argentina
On May 27, 2013, the Brazilian Association of Shrimp Breeders (ABCC) filed a public civil action to try to block the import of boat-caught shrimp (Pleoticus muelleri) imports from Argentina.
Actually, the import of shrimp has been prohibited since 1999, but in December 2012, an Import Risk Analysis (IRA) allowed the opening of the Brazilian market for Argentine wild shrimp.
According to the information released by the Ministry of Fisheries and Agriculture (MPA), the volume of imports could reach 5,000 metric tons this year.
The Brazilian government thinks that Argentine shrimp imports will not have an impact on the domestic shrimp industry, but ABCC President, Itamar Rocha, argues that “the consequences would be disastrous for the fishing industry in Brazil, and for shrimp farming in particular.” He argues that the risks of importing viral diseases “are real and could be catastrophic for the Brazilian fishing economy.”
Rocha questions the ability of the technicians who did the IRA assessment of the shrimp industry. He said none of the IRA investigators had experience working with shrimp. He said they know about calf’s diarrhea, cat surgery, foot and mouth disease, alcohol production, tuberculosis vaccine and brucellosis in cattle, but that’s not enough to understand the risks of importing shrimp pathogens.
Source: FIS United States. Shrimp Producers Try to Block Argentinean Shrimp Entry. Analia Murias (editorial@fis.com). June 11, 2013.