The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) released information regarding import entry line refusals for the month of March 2015. Over one in three of the 155 seafood import entry lines refused last month were for entry lines of shrimp for reasons related to veterinary drug residues. In total, the FDA reported that 58 entry lines of shrimp were refused for banned antibiotics in March.
With the March refusals, the FDA reports having refused 140 shrimp entry lines for banned antibiotics in 2015. The total from the first quarter of 2015 represents more shrimp entry line refusals by the agency than any full year in the twelve year period between 2002 and 2013. If the FDA continues to refuse shrimp import entry lines at the current rate – just under 47 entry lines per month – last year’s record high of 208 such refusals will be surpassed by May.
In March, shrimp from five different countries – Malaysia, India, Vietnam, China, and Indonesia – was refused for reasons related to veterinary drug residues. These refusals involved thirteen different companies in those five countries, with refusals being reported throughout the country:
- Seng Enterprise Seafood Supplier (1986), a company that was listed on Import Alert 16-124 on February 20, 2015 for chloramphenicol, had seventeen entry lines refused for shrimp contaminated with veterinary drug residues in the Southwest Import District and another two entry lines refused for shrimp contaminated with veterinary drug residues in the New York District;
- HK Foods (M) Sdn. Bhd. (Malaysia), a company not currently listed on either Import Alert 16-124 or 16-129, had six entry lines refused for shrimp contaminated with nitrofurans in the Los Angeles District;
- Double Memory Sdn. Bhd. (Malaysia), a company listed on Import Alert 16-129 for nitrofurans on December 15, 2014, had five entry lines refused for shrimp contaminated with nitrofurans in the Los Angeles District;
- Sunlight Seafood Sdn. Bhd. (Malaysia), a company listed on Import Alert 16-129 for nitrofurans on September 29, 2014 but not currently listed on Import Alert 16-124, had four entry lines refused for shrimp contaminated with nitrofurans and veterinary drug residues in the Los Angeles District;
- Aquatech Venture Sdn. Bhd. (Malaysia), a company listed on Import Alert 16-129 for nitrofurans on February 19, 2015 but not currently listed on Import Alert 16-124, had one entry line refused for shrimp contaminated with both nitrofurans and veterinary drug residues in the Southwest Import District;
- Avanti Feeds Limited (India), a company not currently listed on Import Alert 16-124 but listed on Import Alert 16-129 on March 26, 2015 for nitrofurans, had six entry lines refused for shrimp contaminated with veterinary drug residues at the Los Angeles District;
- M/S Srikanth International (India), a company not currently listed on either Import Alert 16-124 or 16-129, had two entry lines refused for nitrofurans in the Southwest Import District;
- Ngoc Tri Seafood Joint Stock Company (Vietnam) ), a company not currently listed on Import Alert 16-124, had seven entry lines refused for shrimp contaminated with veterinary drug residues in the San Francisco District;
- Bac Lieu Fisheries Co., Ltd. (Vietnam) , a company not currently listed on Import Alert 16-124,had two entry lines refused for shrimp contaminated with veterinary drug residues in the Chicago District;
- Hoang Phuong Seafood Factory (Vietnam), a company that was listed on Import Alert 16-124 on October 17, 2014 for enrofloxacin and ciprofloxacin,had one entry line refused for shrimp contaminated with veterinary drug residues in the New York District;
- Zhanjiang Guolian Aquatic Products Co., Ltd. (China), a company that had an exemption to Import Alert 16-131 returned to it on February 11, 2015, had three entry lines refused for breaded shrimp contaminated with veterinary drug residues in the New York District;
- Guangdong Gourmet Aquatic Products Co., Ltd. (China), a company not currently exempted from Import Alert 16-131, had one entry line refused for breaded shrimp contaminated with veterinary drug residues in the Los Angeles District; and
- PT Bumi Menara Internusa (Indonesia), a company not currently listed on either Import Alert 16-124 or 16-129, had one entry line refused for shrimp contaminated with nitrofurans in the Southwest Import District.
For the year, the FDA has reported refusing 96 entry lines of shrimp shipped from Malaysia for reasons related to veterinary drug residues, 25 entry lines of shrimp shipped from Vietnam, 13 entry lines of shrimp shipped from India, 5 entry lines of shrimp shipped from China, and 1 entry line of shrimp shipped from Indonesia.