Earlier today, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) published detailed data regarding 72 total seafood entry line refusals in December, of which two (2.8%) were of shrimp for reasons related to banned antibiotics. In addition, the FDA published additional, previously unreported seafood entry line refusals for November, including three entry lines of shrimp refused for veterinary drug residues.
For all of 2022, the FDA refused a total of 60 entry lines of shrimp for reasons related to banned antibiotics. While less than the total number of entry lines refused for the same reasons in 2021, the 2022 total was the third-highest number of shrimp entry lines refused for banned antibiotics over the last six years.
Just about half of the antibiotic-related entry line refusals (29) in 2022 involved shrimp sourced from India. Of the remaining shrimp entry line refusals for banned antibiotics last year, eleven were from Thailand, ten were from Bangladesh, three were from Vietnam, three were from Hong Kong, two were from Malaysia, one was from Mexico, and one was from China.
The newly-reported five shrimp entry lines refused for antibiotic residues in November and December were for shipments from two Indian exporters:
- Albys Agro Pvt. Ltd. (India), a company that has been listed on Import Alert 16-129 (“Detention Without Physical Examination of Seafood Products Due to Nitrofurans”) for its shipments of shrimp since June 3, 2022, had one entry line refused for shrimp contaminated with nitrofurans and veterinary drug residues by the Division of Southwest Imports on December 20, 2022; and
- Falcon Marine Exports Ltd. (India), a company that is not currently listed on Import Alert 16-124 (“Detention Without Physical Examination of Aquaculture Seafood Products Due to Unapproved Drugs”), Import Alert 16-127 (“Detention Without Physical Examination of Crustaceans Due to Chloramphenicol”), or Import Alert 16-129 (“Detention Without Physical Examination of Seafood Products Due to Nitrofurans”), had one entry line refused for shrimp contaminated with nitrofurans by the Division of West Coast Imports on November 29, 2022, two entry lines refused for shrimp contaminated with nitrofurans and veterinary drug residues by the Division of West Coast Imports on November 29, 2022, and one entry line refused for shrimp contaminated with nitrofurans by the Division of West Coast Imports on December 8, 2022.