The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has released detailed data regarding seventy-one (71) seafood entry line refusals in December, of which seven (9.9%) were for shrimp for reasons related to banned antibiotics. The FDA also released detailed information regarding another entry line of shrimp refused for the presence of veterinary drug residues in November that had not been previously formally reported through the agency’s Import Refusal Report.
For all of calendar year 2025, the FDA reported refusing a total of ninety-nine (99) entry lines of shrimp for reasons related to veterinary drug residues. As shown in the chart below, this is the sixth highest total for shrimp entry line refusals related to veterinary drug residues over the last twenty-four years. The last time that the FDA reported refusing more shrimp entry lines for reasons related to banned antibiotics was nine years ago.
Last year, the FDA’s refusals of shrimp entry lines were once again concentrated on shrimp exported from India and Vietnam. However, the country with the second highest number of entry line refusals – Indonesia – had not previously been a significant source of antibiotic-contaminated shrimp. In the twenty-three (23) year period running from 2002 through 2024, the FDA had reported refusing a grand total of 40 entry lines of Indonesian shrimp for reasons related to veterinary drug residues, an average of 1.7 entry line refusals each year. In 2025, the FDA refused thirty (30) entry lines of Indonesian shrimp for the presence of banned antibiotics.
These data confirm that foreign shrimp aquaculture industries recognize that the FDA will not limit access to the U.S. market in response to shrimp farmers utilizing banned antibiotics in their operations. In the absence of any meaningful consequences for the use of harmful veterinary drugs, Americans can reasonably anticipate the further spread of an unnecessary practice that poses a substantial threat to global human health.
The eight (8) newly reported entry lines of shrimp refused for veterinary drug residues in November and December were attributed to shipments from six different exporters in China, India, Indonesia, and Malaysia. As noted below, three of these six exporters are Best Aquaculture Practices (BAP)-certified shrimp processors:
- Nekkanti Mega Food Park Private Limited – Unit#1 (India), a company that currently operates under a four-star BAP certification for its processing plant (P10805) and that was added to Import Alert 16-129 (“Detention Without Physical Examination of Seafood Products Due to Nitrofurans”) on December 27, 2024 for the presence of AOZ (3-amino-2-oxazoildinone) in its shrimp and to Import Alert 16-127 (“Detention Without Physical Examination of All Seafood Due to Chloramphenicol”) on February 10, 2025 for the presence of chloramphenicol in its shrimp, had one entry line refused for shrimp contaminated with nitrofurans, poisonous chloramphenicol, and veterinary drug residues by the Division of Southeast Imports on December 30, 2025;
- PT. Pabrik Lamongan BMI (Indonesia), a company that currently operates under a four-star BAP certification for its processing plant (P10680) and that was added to Import Alert 16-129 (“Detention Without Physical Examination of Seafood Products Due to Nitrofurans”) on June 12, 2025 for the presence of nitrofurans in its non-breaded shrimp and on June 30, 2025 for the presence of nitrofurans in its breaded shrimp, had one entry line refused for shrimp contaminated with nitrofurans and veterinary drug residues by the Division of Southeast Imports on December 5, 2025 and two entry lines refused for breaded shrimp contaminated with nitrofurans and veterinary drug residues by the Division of West Coast Imports on December 29, 2025;
- PT. Tamron Akuatik Produk Industri (Indonesia), a company that currently operates under a four-star BAP certification for its processing plant (P10704) and that was added to Import Alert 16-129 (“Detention Without Physical Examination of Seafood Products Due to Nitrofurans”) on August 28, 2025 for the presence of nitrofurans in its shrimp, had one entry line refused for shrimp contaminated with nitrofurans by the Division of Southeast Imports on December 22, 2025;
- Tee Ching Kiat (Malaysia), a company that is not currently included on the “green” list for Import Alert 16-136 (“Detention Without Physical Examination of Aquacultured Shrimp and Prawn Products in all Market Forms from Peninsular Malaysia Due to the Presence of Unapproved Animal Drugs or Unsafe Food Additives”), had one entry line refused for shrimp contaminated with veterinary drug residues and an unsafe food additive by the Division of Southeast Imports on November 26, 2025;
- Beh Chin Kok Trading (Malaysia), a company that is not currently included on the “green” list for Import Alert 16-136 (“Detention Without Physical Examination of Aquacultured Shrimp and Prawn Products in all Market Forms from Peninsular Malaysia Due to the Presence of Unapproved Animal Drugs or Unsafe Food Additives”), had one entry line refused for shrimp contaminated with veterinary drug residues and an unsafe food additive by the Division of Northeast Imports on December 10, 2025; and
- Qingdao Best Oceans Co., Ltd. (China), a company that is not currently included on the “green” list for Import Alert 16-131 (“Detention Without Physical Examination of Aquacultured Shrimp, Dace, and Eel from China and Hong Kong SAR – Presence of New Animal Drugs and/or Unsafe Food Additives”), had one entry line refused for shrimp contaminated with veterinary drug residues and an unsafe food additive by the Division of West Coast Imports on December 16, 2025.