Socialist Republic of Vietnam

No sooner was the Bilateral Vietnam-US Trade Agreement (BTA) signed by US President George W Bush, the world witnessed opposing moves by a group of US business people in a campaign against the import of Vietnam's Tra and Basa catfish into this market. The campaign, which began late last year, occasionally eased for a few months before it culminated into a full-flown campaign. The campaign is so loud and harsh that some Americans term it the 'Catfish war' or 'A new war against Vietnam.'

What is catfish and who is the CFA?

'Catfish' is an English name for any of numerous teleost fishes having whisker-like barbels around the mouth including Mudfish, Hemibagrus, tre catfish, tra catfish and basa catfish, all belonging to the group of Siluriformes, including between 2,500 and 3,000 different species, living in fresh, salty and brackish water all over the world. These fish species are classified into different classes including the US Ictaluridae and Asian Pangasiida. The US catfish (Ictalurus punctatus) are exclusive to the US waters while the tra catfish (Pangasius hypophthalmus) and the basa catfish (Pangasius bocourti) are numerous in the Mekong river delta and belong to the Asian catfish.

The noisiest voice in the current catfish war is the Association of Catfish Farmers of America (CFA). The association represents affluent farmers in Mississippi State and some other southern states in the US. Raising catfish is an important cash earner in these states because catfish farmers make big profits from using the vast waste land areas to turn catfish from a popular dish for poor black people into a much sought after foodstuff in the US, ranking fifth among the most popular maritime products. That is why these farmers are embittered at the influx in the US market of similar, imported products, which are of higher quality, and at lower prices. And more than 20 years after their failure during the Vietnam war, they opt to launch a new war, as they declare, not to fight communism, but to combat Vietnamese tra and basa catfish.

Developments of the 'war' over catfish

During 1999 and 2000, the volume of Vietnamese tra and basa catfish imported to the US market increased considerably, which angered American catfish farmers. That why, right from the end of last year, they used the US media to provide misinformation to distort the image of Vietnamese tra and basa catfish. Despite their noisy reaction, Vietnamese catfish imports into the US continue to rise.

In order to gain an insight into the core of the matter, in November 2000, a delegation of nearly 20 members including professors from the Auburn University and American catfish raising and processing companies, headed by Mr Gvillo Curtis, president of the Catfish Association of Alabama State, made a fact-finding tour of Vietnam. They made thorough surveys of the actual conditions of feeding and processing tra and basa catfish in rafts and ponds, the catfish processing plants in An Giang and Can Tho. They praised the technology and equipment for feeding, processing and food safety and hygiene conditions. Following this fact-finding tour, the war over catfish seemed to ease a little.

But CFA did not promptly recognise what the American scientists saw with their own eyes. In February 2001, when catfish supply was scarce in the US and imports of Vietnamese catfish rose, the war picked up again. A nine-month promotion campaign was launched by TCI and funded with 5.2 million dollars by CFA to oppose the import of Vietnamese tra and basa catfish. Posters and placards printed in commercial magazines and food ads are filled with xenophobic titles against foreign catfish products. Domestically, they launched campaigns calling on American people to eat American catfish and coined the label 'Catfish raised in USA' in opposition to Vietnamese products.

The CFA President sent a letter to the US President George W Bush on June 28, 2001 to propose that the US administration negotiate a separate agreement on catfish with Vietnam. In the following months, the CFA hired law firm Nathan Associates to collect information and launch a publicity campaign to smear Vietnamese catfish, stressing that imports of Vietnamese catfish caused a 10% drop in prices of US catfish.

CFA plotted a campaign to lobby and pressure Congressmen of the states that raise catfish and drummed up support from legislature and law enforcement agencies to back up their retaliation against imports of Vietnamese catfish.

American Congressmen begin their involvement

Upon CFA pressure, many American Congressmen were forced to take part in the war. On February 9, 2001, all 12 Congressmen including eight from the senate and four from the House Representatives, from catfish raising States, signed a letter addressed to Mr Robert Zoellick, US trade representative to complain about the import of Vietnamese tra and basa catfish which caused losses to the US catfish production sector and requested the government take measures.

On July 11, Mississippi State Senators Ronnie Shows and Bennie Thompson, and Arkansas Senator Marion Barrym rallied forces and called on the Congress to adopt the H.R.2439 bill on labelling the origin of imported fish for retail, openly smearing Vietnamese products. However, this bill was not submitted for approval because the Senate had turned down a similar bill on agricultural products.

On August, 15, US Senator Mike Ross, one of the major sponsors for the H.R. 2439 bill sent a letter asking for information about Vietnam's measures to control the labelling of fish products imported into the US. On August 17, Deputy Minister of Fisheries Nguyen Thi Hong Minh sent a reply letter, making clear the measures being taken by Vietnam.

In late September 2001, some Senators representing US Southern States plotted to use catfish as a matter to prevent the US Congressional adoption of the BTA. But their scheme failed. On September 27, the US Food and Drugs Administration (FDA) sent a letter asking for samples of Vietnamese catfish being imported to the US market. Vietnam sent an immediate response. But the US continues to press on with the issue.

In a recent article run by the Washington Post, Senator Marion Barry even dared say that that the catfish being raised in the Mekong river might contain the residue from the Agent Orange which had been sprayed by the US during the war in Vietnam.

On October 5, 2001, the US House of Representatives suddenly adopted the H.R.2964 bill, which allowed the use of the name 'catfish' only for Ictaluridae species, which, in essence, aimed at the American catfish type Ictalurus punctatus. The fact that the US reserves itself the right to monopolise on a common name representing more than 2,500 different types of fish worldwide is an unprecedented, unacceptable move.

Furthermore, in the small hours of October 25, the Senate made a verbal vote to adopt 35 amended articles to the H.R.2330 bill on allocating agricultural budget for fiscal 2002 in which SA 2000 amendment article stipulated that FDA shall not be allowed to use budget allocation to clear procedures for licensing imports of a certain kind of fish called 'catfish' except those belonging to the Ictaluridae family. They used the trick of controlling the purse string of CFA to take an upperhanded attitute towards authoritative scientific bodies that have so far persisted in the stance that all types of fish belonging to the Siluriformes class be called 'catfish.'

What does the CFA criticise?

CFA focuses on three major arguments to oppose imports of Vietnamese tra and basa catfish into the US markets:

First, they describe the influx of Vietnamese catfish into the US as causing the fall in prices of American catfish.

Second, they say Vietnamese catfish is raised in polluted water conditions which cannot guarantee quality and food hygiene and safety for consumers.

And third, they request Vietnamese tra, basa and similar types not be called 'catfish' because this name has been marked by the credibility of US catfish which has cost the country several years and much money to build.

We should scrutinise such criticism from official US documents, according to the latest overview of the situation of aqua-culture, made public by the US Agricultural Department