The U.S. House has passed its Farm Bill renewal legislation, voting to attach two seafood-related amendments before final passage.
The Farm Bill is the main legislation guiding agriculture and food policy in the U.S., and the domestic seafood sector has latched onto the omnibus bill as a vector for growing the presence of seafood and aquaculture in particular within the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and ensuring American fishers get the same federal support as American farmers. The House released its draft of the Farm Bill in February.
“This week’s House action shows that momentum is building across Congress to provide parity for fisheries within federal food policy,” Maine Coast Fishermen’s Association Executive Director Ben Martens said in a release. “Fishing businesses in Maine and across the country need the same tools and opportunities available to other American food producers.”
U.S. lawmakers proposed several seafood amendments to the House version of the Farm Bill, two of which were adopted during a marathon late night legislative session 29 April before the bill was passed the following day.
“It's 2 a.m., and I just walked off the floor after passing three of my amendments to the Farm Bill,” U.S. Representative Nancy Mace (R-South Carolina) posted on social media after the session wrapped up. “First, we codified President Trump's executive order for the USDA Office of Seafood, and second, we unlocked USDA agricultural programs for our commercial fishermen. South Carolina’s shrimping and fishing economy is the backbone of our coastal heritage, and it is time our farmers of the sea received the same backing as those on land. We will not allow substandard, radioactive foreign imports to sink our domestic industry.”
The first amendment Mace referred to would formally codify the new USDA Office of Seafood, which was established by President Donald Trump's administration earlier in April, into law.
“California fishermen know that local seafood connects consumers directly to healthy food, climate-smart protein, and vibrant waterfront economies,” Commercial Fishermen of Santa Barbara Executive Director Kim Selkoe said in a release. “Bringing seafood more fully into USDA programs is a practical step that can help small and medium-sized fishing businesses compete, innovate, and continue serving their communities.”
The second amendment contained language from the American Seafood Competitiveness Act, legislation that would give commercial fishing and seafood processors equal access to USDA programs, loans, and financial services.
“Access to capital, strong markets, and modern infrastructure are essential for keeping fishermen on the water and seafood flowing to American families,” America Reef Fish Shareholders Alliance Deputy Director Eric Brazer said in a release. “These House provisions recognize that investing in domestic seafood production also means investing in ports, processors, suppliers, and the coastal communities that depend on them. We applaud Congresswoman Mace’s leadership in advancing these policies and her tenacity, stretching late at night, in getting the job done. This is the kind of commonsense policy that strengthens America’s food security.”
Other seafood-related amendments didn’t make the cut.
An amendment that would incorporate the Buy American Seafood Act was rejected from consideration by the House Rules Committee, and an attempt to extend a ban on Chinese and Russian seafood products in school lunches to include seafood from Vietnam and India was also left on the floor.
Republicans in the U.S. Senate have yet to introduce their version of the Farm Bill. Any differences between the two versions will need to be sorted out in conference before being sent on to the president to be signed into law.
