Morning Ag Clips logo
  • Subscribe ❯
  • PORTAL ❯
  • LOGIN ❯
  • By Keyword
  • By topic
  • By state
  • Home
  • Events
  • Jobs
  • Store
  • Advertise
  • Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
  • Subscribe to our
    daily email
    ❯
  • Portal Registration❯
  • Login❯
  • policy
  • tractors & machinery
  • education
  • conservation
  • webinars
  • business
  • dairy
  • cattle
  • poultry
  • swine
  • corn
  • soybeans
  • organic
  • specialty crops
  • Alabama
  • Alaska
  • Arizona
  • Arkansas
  • California
  • Colorado
  • Connecticut
  • Delaware
  • Florida
  • Georgia
  • Hawaii
  • Idaho
  • Illinois
  • Indiana
  • Iowa
  • Kansas
  • Kentucky
  • Louisiana
  • Maine
  • Maryland
  • Massachusetts
  • Michigan
  • Minnesota
  • Mississippi
  • Missouri
  • Montana
  • Nebraska
  • Nevada
  • New Hampshire
  • New Jersey
  • New Mexico
  • New York
  • North Carolina
  • North Dakota
  • Ohio
  • Oklahoma
  • Oregon
  • Pennsylvania
  • Rhode Island
  • South Carolina
  • South Dakota
  • Tennessee
  • Texas
  • Utah
  • Vermont
  • Virginia
  • Washington
  • West Virginia
  • Wisconsin
  • Wyoming

Morning Ag Clips

  • By Keyword
  • By topic
  • By state
  • policy
  • tractors & machinery
  • education
  • conservation
  • webinars
  • business
  • dairy
  • cattle
  • poultry
  • swine
  • corn
  • soybeans
  • organic
  • specialty crops
  • Home
  • Events
  • Jobs
  • Store
  • Advertise
Home » US blocks seafood from Chinese fleet for mistreating crew
international policy trade
INTERNATIONAL ISSUES ...

US blocks seafood from Chinese fleet for mistreating crew

Immediate hold on any imports linked to the more than 30 vessels operated by Dalian Ocean Fishing

PUBLISHED ON May 29, 2021

Imports from Dalian, which primarily fishes for tuna, have exceeded $20 million as recently as 2018. Shipments linked to the company have dropped over the past year to about $200,000, officials said. (Mussi Katz, Flickr/Creative Commons)

WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. government blocked imports of seafood Friday from the fleet of a Chinese company that authorities say forced crew members to work in slave-like conditions that led to the deaths of at least three Indonesian fishermen last year.

Customs and Border Protection said it will place an immediate hold on any imports linked to the more than 30 vessels operated by Dalian Ocean Fishing, under a U.S. law that bars goods suspected to have been produced with forced labor.

Imports from Dalian, which primarily fishes for tuna, have exceeded $20 million as recently as 2018. Shipments linked to the company have dropped over the past year to about $200,000, officials said.

“We will not tolerate any amount derived from forced labor,” Department of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas told reporters as he announced the measure.

CBP issued what is known as a withhold release order that halts shipments that have suspected links to forced labor, under a law that has been on the books for decades, ostensibly to protect U.S. producers from unfair competition.

The law has been used with increased frequency in recent years, given the growing awareness of the prevalence of what is essentially modern-day slavery in a range of industries, with workers forced to work long hours for low pay, or none at all, and subjected to violence.

Both the State Department and Labor Department have also documented abusive conditions in the Chinese fishing industry, where mostly foreign crews often work 18 hours to 22 hours per day under abysmal conditions.

U.S. authorities have used the Tariff Act of 1930 to halt imports from specific companies, individual fishing vessels and all cotton and tomato products from the Xinjiang region of China, where the Chinese government is waging a brutal assimilation campaign against Uyghurs and other predominantly Muslim ethnic groups.

The announcement Friday marks the first time that the U.S. has sought to block imports from an company’s entire fishing fleet, a sign that the CBP’s investigation found evidence of widespread abuse on Dalian vessels around the world.

Indonesia’s government in May 2020 accused the company of “inhuman” treatment of fishermen from that country, with dozens of men forced to work 18 hours a day for no pay or less than agreed upon. It said the conditions led to illnesses that killed at least three fishermen, whose bodies were cast overboard into the Pacific Ocean.

Dalian did not immediately respond to a request for comment made through its website.

–By BEN FOX Associated Press

For more articles concerning international issues, click here.

RECOMMENDED ARTICLES

Coastal safety after Hurricane Ian, Q&A with Florida Sea Grant experts
October 23, 2022

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Hurricane Ian’s impact on Florida’s coast lingers, even weeks after the storm’s passing, leaving questions about derelict vessels, water quality and more. Florida Sea Grant UF/IFAS Extension agents and other experts answer commonly asked questions about coastal safety after the hurricane. Panelists include the following Extension faculty and specialists: Scott Jackson, Bay […]

Ag organizations react to passage of Ocean Shipping Reform Act
June 19, 2022

WASHINGTON — Editor’s note: President Joe Biden has signed the Ocean Shipping Reform Act into law. The agriculture organizations listed below have issued statements following this announcement. American Farm Bureau Federation AFBF Applauds Enactment of Ocean Shipping Reform Act American Farm Bureau Federation President Zippy Duvall commented today on President Biden signing the Ocean Shipping Reform […]

Ag groups react to passage of Ocean Shipping Reform Act
June 14, 2022

WASHINGTON — Editor’s note: The U.S. Congress has passed the Ocean Shipping Reform Act; it will now go to the President to be signed into law. The following agricultural organizations have released statements in light of this announcement.  National Association of State Departments of Agriculture State departments of agriculture celebrate supply chain success with passage […]

Sea Grant Extension Shop at the Dock tours return to Oregon Coast
August 11, 2021

NEWPORT, Ore. – With her group assembled and the squawks of seagulls echoing across Yaquina Bay, Angee Doerr headed down the steel ramp at Dock 5 at the Port of Newport to talk about seafood. Shop at the Dock was back. A popular program of Oregon Sea Grant and Oregon State University Extension Service, the […]

NAMI urges Secretary Vilsack to address challenges at ports
June 16, 2021

WASHINGTON — With delays and congestion at U.S. ports hurting U.S. agriculture exports, including meat and poultry products, the North American Meat Institute (Meat Institute) today urged U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack and the Congress to confront the crisis as part of efforts to improve and strengthen the food supply chain. “As part of […]

Spread the word

Browse More Clips

USDA rejects request for faster pork slaughterhouse speeds

Teacher spends own money, gives time for community garden

Primary Sidebar

MORE

NATIONAL CLIPS

National FFA Organization selected to participate in the Advancing Racial Equity Community of Practice initiative
January 27, 2023
Six reasons to bring millets to the market!
January 27, 2023
Statement from Agriculture Secretary on departure of Deputy Secretary Jewel Bronaugh
January 26, 2023
76th Annual Rangelands Meeting
January 26, 2023
99 Counties - Farming for Good Health!
January 26, 2023
  • Trending
  • Latest

YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE...

Six reasons to bring millets to the market!
January 27, 2023
Statement from Agriculture Secretary on departure of Deputy Secretary Jewel Bronaugh
January 26, 2023
IL conservation applications have Feb. 3 cutoff
January 26, 2023
Missouri corn growers share priorities, recognize partners
January 26, 2023
Responding to U.S. Ag Census critical for Del. producers
January 26, 2023

Footer

MORNING AG CLIPS

  • Contact Us
  • Sponsors
  • About Us
  • Advertise with Us
  • Privacy Statement
  • Terms of Service

CONNECT WITH US

  • Like Us on Facebook
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

TRACK YOUR TRADE

  • Markets & Economy
  • Cattle Updates
  • Dairy News
  • Policy & Politics
  • Corn Alerts

QUICK LINKS

  • Account
  • Portal Membership
  • Just Me, Kate
  • Farmhouse Communication

Get the MAC App Today!

Get it on Google Play
Download on the App Store

© 2023 Morning Ag Clips, LLC. All Rights Reserved.