ASPA still troubled by shrimp agreement

The American Shrimp Processors Association (ASPA) on Tuesday reiterated its opposition to an agreement the Southern Shrimp Alliance reached with the Thai Frozen Foods Association (TFFA) to revoke U.S. tariffs on Thai shrimp. The U.S. Department of Commerce is currently considering the petition.

Following an SSA-organized meeting in Charleston, S.C., the ASPA said again that the SSA hasn’t provided any details on the amount of money it would receive from the TFFA or how the money would be distributed.

According to the ASPA, SSA Executive Director John Williams said the money would be divided amongst the Southern states and then dispersed to shrimp fishermen and processors at each state’s discretion. Williams said the SSA would receive about 10 percent of the total settlement, said the ASPA.

“The SSA is heading down a dangerous path with this proposed settlement. They admit that in five years the entire industry could regret this decision, yet they are willing to take that risk in order to collect upward of USD 10 million to replenish the SSA coffers,” said ASPA Executive Director David Veal. “The ASPA is committed to protecting the long-term future of the American shrimp industry and we believe that all antidumping orders, particularly the orders on shrimp from Thailand, are key to maintaining a healthy industry in our country.”

“Don’t sell yourself for a tank of gas, you need to make sure you get enough to retire,” added ASPA member Dean Blanchard of Louisiana. “If we let this [revocation of the antidumping orders] happen, we might be putting ourselves out of business.”

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