China seafood ban benefiting Arkansas farmers

A Seafood Ban Benefiting Arkansas Farmers

Catfish farmer Joey Lowery is wrapping up his day's work on his family farm in Jackson County.
He's been raising and selling about two million pounds of catfish every year for two decades. And for him product safety comes first.

"We feel like the only way to compete is to raise the bar and to just do a better job," says Lowery.

Thursday the U.S. Food and Drug Administration blocked seafood imports from China saying catfish, eel, shrimp, basa and dace may be contaminated with certain medications.

Some Chinese fish farmers use the drugs to cut down on disease among their fish. United States farmers can't use the medications.

David Archeson with the FDA says, "The concern is really long-term exposure from some of the drugs that are in these types of seafood. It's not a short-term exposure issue. You don't need to worry what's on your dinner table tonight."

Experts say it may be more than a year before the China problem is fixed, which means the majority of the catfish will come from U.S. producers.

Lowery explains, "It's more work, more sales and more business."

This is the break down. Right now 25 percent of all U.S. cat fish production comes from here in Arkansas generating nearly $600 million a year for the state. But Lowery says it's more than a financial boost. He wants the ban to be a teaching tool for Arkansans who are shopping for fish.

"If they're concerned about where the product comes from and if it is not properly labeled on the shelf, ask the manager where he is purchasing the product from,” says Lowery.

The banned fish from China is not marked, so if you're in the grocery store or a restaurant and you want to know, you'll have to ask the manager.

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