[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 147 (2001), Part 12]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 16860]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]



  APPROVING EXTENSION OF NONDISCRIMINATORY TREATMENT WITH RESPECT TO 
             PRODUCERS OF THE SOCIALIST REPUBLIC OF VIETNAM

                                 ______
                                 

                               speech of

                             HON. MIKE ROSS

                              of arkansas

                    in the house of representatives

                      Thursday, September 6, 2001

  Mr. ROSS. Mr. Speaker, the catfish industry is an important part of 
the economy of my congressional district that covers all of south 
Arkansas. Thirty-six states either produce or process farm-raised 
catfish, with Arkansas being the third largest producer in the nation. 
The catfish farmers in my district and across America are being hurt by 
the unfair practice of ``so-called'' catfish from Vietnam being dumped 
into our markets and sold as ``farm-raised'' catfish.
  Last year, imports of Vietnamese catfish totaled 7 million pounds, 
more than triple the 2 million pounds imported in 1999 and more than 12 
times the 575,000 pounds imported in 1998. In Vietnam, these so-called 
catfish, also known as ``basa,'' can be produced at a much lower cost 
due to cheap labor and less stringent environmental regulations. In 
fact, many of these fish are grown in floating cages in the Mekong 
River, exposing the fish to pollutants and other conditions. They are 
then dumped into American markets and often marketed as farm-raised 
catfish.
  Vietnam says they are taking the necessary steps to fix the problem 
of mislabeling and dumping. However, this problem is not new and has 
been discussed with Vietnam for several years. We have yet to see any 
results to show that they are truly addressing this issue.
  America is a country founded on the principles of fairness and good 
faith, but Vietnam must still prove that their actions are, indeed, in 
good faith. They must stop the dumping of this so-called catfish into 
America's markets and allow our catfish farmers to have the level 
playing field that they deserve. Therefore, I do not support extending 
trade relations to Vietnam at this time.

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