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On 31 December 2003, the American Southern Shrimp Alliance (SSA) filed an antidumping complaint with the US Department of Commerce, arguing that producers in Thailand, China, Vietnam, India, Brazil and Ecuador are selling shrimps on the US market below production costs. According to the SSA, the complaint is aimed at restoring trade, which currently is unfair to American producers and has resulted in unemployment as well as health and safety concerns. Senator Lott, who supports the complaint, called on the US government to “take bold steps to ensure that free trade is fair trade”. Currently 80 percent of the total shrimp consumption in the US consists of imported shrimps. In reaction to the lawsuit, the six shrimp exporting countries have issued a joint statement stating that “no legal action will change the fact that farm-raised shrimp from exporting countries is more cost effective than US wild-harvested shrimp”, arguing that shrimp production in the US simply is not competitive due to high production costs. The exporting countries furthermore noted that the increase in shrimp imports had benefited the US economy by supporting the domestic processing sector. In protest of the lawsuit, Thailand’s private sector said that it would stop buying US produced soybeans and soybean meal. The Commerce Department is set to decide on 17 February whether they want to hear the case or not; should the department agree to hear the case, the shrimp exporters face immediate tariff surcharges of 57 percent.
“Thai Shrimp Spat Could Grow,” THE ASIAN WALL STREET JOURNAL, 16 January 2004; “Shrimp Exporters Join Up For Fight,” VIETNAM NEWS, 13 January 2004; “Retaliatory Measures Against US supported,” BANGKOK POST, 14 January 2004; “Indian Shrimp Exporters To Fight US Move,” REDIFF, 17 January 2004.
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