Deputy of Agriculture Undersecretary Al Almanza told lawmakers the White House is likely to release in April a long-delayed regulation to put the USDA in charge of catfish inspection, says Agri-Pulse. The starting date for inspections will depend on changes demanded by the White House, said Almanza. The FDA currently is in charge of all seafood inspection. The U.S. aquaculture industry has complained of unfair competition from Asia. Agri-Pulse also said Almanza told the House Appropriations subcommittee on agriculture that the USDA hopes to begin implementation of a new poultry inspection system in July or August. At present, 15 percent of processing plants have signed up for the new system, which puts more emphasis on preventing contamination of meat and less on visual inspection.
Subcommittee chairman Robert Aderholt said he was skeptical of a White House proposal to create a new agency in the Department of Health and Human Services that would replace the USDA and the FDA in food-safety regulation. “HHS is a large, cumbersome agency with a myriad of responsibilities, and I fear food safety would not be one of their priorities,” said Aderholt, an Alabama Republican, in a statement.