Information released by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regrading import entry line refusals in May 2015 shows a significant reduction in the number of shrimp entry lines refused for reasons related to banned antibiotics compared to the first four months of this year. Of the 103 seafood entry lines refused last month, 12 (12%) were for shrimp contaminated with banned antibiotics. The total number of shrimp entry lines refused for banned antibiotics in May was the lowest number reported by the agency since August 2014.
While the total number of shrimp entry line refusals fell in May 2015, the number of refusals remain significant. By way of comparison, in the 13 year period between 2002 and 2014, covering 156 months, the FDA refused at least 12 entry lines of shrimp for reasons related to antibiotics in only 20 of those months. In contrast, the FDA has reported refusing at least 12 entry lines of shrimp for antibiotics in each of the first five months of this year.
So far this year, the FDA has now refused a total of 203 entry lines of shrimp products for reasons related to banned antibiotics. As shown in the chart below, the previous single annual high for shrimp entry lines refused for reasons related to banned antibiotics occurred last year at 208.
In May, shrimp entry lines from three different countries – Malaysia, India, and Vietnam – were refused for reasons related to veterinary drug residues. These refusals involved six different companies in those three countries, with refusals occurring at ports throughout the United States:
- Seng Enterprise Seafood Supplier (1986) (Malaysia), a company that was listed on Import Alert 16-124 on February 20, 2015 for chloramphenicol, had four entry lines refused in the New York Import District for shrimp contaminated with veterinary drug residues and nitrofurans and was additionally refused for failing to bear the name of the manufacturer, packer or distributor on its labeling;
- Ria Budimas Trading (Malaysia), a company listed on Import Alert 16-129 for nitrofurans on March 2, 2015 at two different addresses but not currently listed on Import Alert 16-124, had three entry lines refused for shrimp contaminated with nitrofurans and veterinary drug residues in the Southwest Import District;
- Fishergold Cold Storage Sdn. Bhd. (Malaysia), a company listed on Import Alert 16-129 for nitrofurans on September 29, 2014, had two entry lines refused for shrimp contaminated with nitrofurans and salmonella in the Southwest Import District;
- Quoc Viet Seaproducts Processing (Vietnam), a company that has been listed on Import Alert 16-124 since March 10, 2014 for chloramphenicol,had one entry line refused for shrimp contaminated with veterinary drug residues in the Seattle District;
- Sharat Industries (India), a company listed on Import Alert 16-129 for nitrofurans on March 9, 2015, had one entry line refused for shrimp contaminated with nitrofurans and veterinary drug residues in the Los Angeles District; and
- Sandhya Aqua Exports Pvt. Ltd. (India), a company not currently listed on either Import Alert 16-124 or Import Alert 16-129, had one entry line refused for shrimp contaminated with nitrofurans and veterinary drug residues in the Southwest Import District.
For the year, the FDA has reported refusing 138 entry lines of shrimp shipped from Malaysia for reasons related to veterinary drug residues, 30 entry lines of shrimp shipped from Vietnam, 25 entry lines of shrimp shipped from India, 9 entry lines of shrimp shipped from China, and 1 entry line of shrimp shipped from Indonesia.
For both Malaysia and India, there have now been more shrimp entry lines refused by the FDA for reasons related to antibiotics in the first five months of this year than in any prior year reported by the FDA:
For Vietnam, the only year in which more shrimp entry lines were refused by the FDA for reasons related to antibiotics than 2015 was last year:
