S. 5613, the Ecuador Shrimp Tariff Act Introduced Wednesday
On Wednesday, Senator Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-MS) announced the introduction of S. 5613, the Ecuador Shrimp Tariff Act that would gradually increase tariffs imposed on shrimp from Ecuador to reach 40 percent in 2029.
Modeled after S. 2868, the India Shrimp Tariff Act, that Senator Hyde-Smith co-sponsored with Senator Bill Cassidy, MD (R-LA) in September of last year, the legislation also imposes a ten cent per kilogram duty on imports of shrimp from all sources in order to fund increased inspections of imported catfish and shrimp and expands the coverage of the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) country-of-origin labeling (COOL) requirements to include cooked shrimp and cooked crawfish products.
The Ecuador Shrimp Tariff Act recognizes that with substantial support from U.S.-taxpayer backed international financial institutions like the World Bank’s International Finance Corporation and the Inter American Development Bank, Ecuador’s shrimp exports to the United States have exploded. Through the first seven months of this year, Ecuador has now become the single largest supplier of frozen warmwater shrimp to this market, accounting for 40% of total import volume and overtaking India for the first time.
These two countries – Ecuador and India – currently account for three out of every four pounds (75%) of frozen warmwater shrimp imported into the United States. The intense competition for sales between the Ecuadorian and Indian shrimp industries is not just driving down prices for U.S. shrimpers but is also pushing other suppliers out of the American market, with import volumes from Indonesia falling by 17% and from Vietnam by 33% in the first seven months of 2026 compared to the same time period in 2025.
H.R. 10580, Let Americans Buy with Explicit Labeling (LABEL) Act, Introduced in the House; S. 5526, Agricultural Act of 2026, Clears Senate Agriculture Committee
On Thursday of last week (September 24th), Congressman Tim Moore (R-NC) and Congressman Randy Weber (R-TX) introduced H.R. 10580, the Let Americans Buy with Explicit Labeling (LABEL) Act. The legislation is the House companion to Senator Cindy Hyde-Smith’s (R-MS) S. 3065 introduced in October of last year and co-sponsored by Senator Tommy Tuberville (R-AL) and Senator Adam Schiff (D-CA).
Explaining the need for the legislation, Congressman Moore observed: “Every American deserves to know where their food comes from. The LABEL Act helps ensure consumers have clear information about where their seafood was caught or raised and how it was produced, right on the front of the package.”
In August, Senator Hyde-Smith’s LABEL Act was included as an amendment to S. 5526, the Senate’s Agricultural Act of 2026 (Farm Bill 2.0). With the LABEL Act incorporated as Section 12605 (“Country of Origin and Method of Production Labeling for Fish”) of S. 5526, the Farm Bill 2.0 also passed out of the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry on Thursday of last week (September 24th).
In addition to the LABEL Act, the Senate’s Farm Bill 2.0 includes a section requiring the USDA to issue a report on international shrimp trade in order to boost the competitiveness of domestic shrimp in global and domestic markets (Section 3402), as well as a report on expanding seafood processing capacity in the United States (Section 12607). The Farm Bill 2.0 also formally establishes the USDA’s Office of Seafood (Section 12606) and expands eligibility of certain USDA programs to encompass American seafood producers (Sections 5216 and 10114).
S. 4974, Making America’s Food Safer Act, Passed the Senate on Monday
On Monday, September 28th, by unanimous consent, S. 4974, Making America’s Food Safer Act passed the Senate. Sponsored by Senator Tommy Tuberville (R-AL) and co-sponsored by Senators Bill Cassidy, MD (R-LA) and Tim Kaine (D-VA), Section 4 of S. 4974 authorizes the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to order the destruction of any imported article subject to FDA regulation that presents a significant public health concern.
The grant of this same authority was initially included in Congressmen Clay Higgins’ (R-LA) and Troy Carter’s (D-LA) bi-partisan H.R. 2715, the Destruction of Hazardous Imports Act, that passed the House by voice vote in July.
By passing S. 4974 and H.R. 2715, both the House and Senate in the 119th Congress have now voted to authorize the FDA to order the destruction of imports that pose significant public health concerns. However, in order to become law, the House will need to pass S. 4974 the Making America’s Food Safer Act or the Senate pass H.R. 2715, the Destruction of Hazardous Imports Act.
S. 283, the Illegal Red Snapper and Tuna Enforcement Act, Enacted
On Thursday of last week (September 24th), the Senate passed the House-amended version of S. 283, the Illegal Red Snapper and Tuna Enforcement Act, by unanimous consent. The bi-partisan legislation had been introduced by Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX) in January of 2025, is co-sponsored by Senators Brian Schatz (D-HI), Katie Britt (R-AL), Tommy Tuberville (R-AL), and Roger Wicker (R-MS), and instructs the U.S. Department of Commerce (Commerce) to work with other federal agencies to jointly develop a standard methodology, based on chemical analysis, for identifying the country-of-origin of seafood in support of efforts to restrict imports of seafood produced through illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing and seafood fraud.
In developing such a testing methodology, Commerce is tasked with conducting pilot studies on red snapper, as an example of stationary stock, and tuna, as an example of a highly migratory stock.
Consistent with the goals of S. 283, the Southern Shrimp Alliance has long supported the development of trace element tests that could identify the true country-of-origin of shrimp.
“Facing high fuel costs and prices driven down by unfairly-traded imports, American shrimpers are struggling to remain in operation,” said Blake Price, executive director of the Southern Shrimp Alliance. “We are thankful for the ongoing efforts by Congress to improve market conditions for this industry. We appreciate the leadership of Senators Hyde-Smith, Tuberville, Cassidy, and Cruz and all other Congressional supporters of the commercial shrimp fishery to realize meaningful legislative changes before the end of the 119th Congress.”