Amid calls for Government to speedily rectify the issues involving the recent imposition of a ban on exports of Guyana’s catfish species, Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo has said the first thing that must be done is for the administration to accept full responsibility for the plight created for local fishermen.
Jagdeo said he has noted the coalition Government’s silence on the matter, and the arguments from Government quarters that this is somehow a ‘protectionist move’ by the United States (U.S.). However, he said these arguments have since
Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo
been exposed as shallow and disingenuous.
The Opposition Leader has said that had it not been for the statement from the local U.S. Embassy in Guyana, stakeholders would have maintained a misguided view.
“I am of the firm view that the Coalition Government is fully responsible for the plight of local fishermen, given that they were notified of the USA’s pending changes to export regulations since November 2015,” he stated.
He noted that despite having received notice of these changes, the Government failed to communicate effectively with the stakeholders of the fisheries sector, many of whom have invested heavily in this area.
“To make matters worse, the Coalition Government received an extension until February 3, 2018, to bring Guyana into compliance with the new export regulations, and failed again,” he pointed out.
This failure, Jagdeo believes, is further evidence of the ineptitude that continues under the current Government, and it seems to be the defining characteristic of the current Administration.
The former President said he has noted the offer made by the U.S. to provide technical assistance to the Government to help Guyana’s fishermen and women to comply with the new export regulations. He is therefore calling on Government to immediately take measures to support compliance with the new regulations, and also take measures to support the local fisheries sector in the meantime.
“The fisheries sector cannot be allowed to suffer irreparable losses, as we have seen in other productive sectors since the APNU+AFC Coalition Government took office,” he added.
Veterinary Public Health Unit Director Dr Ozaye Dodson has said the imposition from the US export market was just a temporary technical barrier to trade. Dr Dodson said the move by the USDA was a “protectionist measure” by that country’s public health system, lobbied for by the catfish farmers.
The US Food Safety Inspection Services (FSIS) asked Guyana to provide the relevant documentation to verify this country’s inspection system equivalence to the US standards, or its equivalent public health system. Dr Dodson claimed Guyana complied with the request. However, the country fell short of the US standards in three areas: firstly, on the issue of the presence of inspectors; secondly, there was insufficient documentation detailing verification of each step in the sanitation and Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP) process; and thirdly, there was insufficient documentation specifying how the industry manages adulterated catfish products.
PSC President Eddie Boyer told this publication on Tuesday that the ban is nothing new, but could be lifted if Government and private companies that are exporting work together to comply with the new requirements. He said it is not an impossible task, but advised that both parties work diligently so as to lessen the economic impact this ban will have on the trade of these specific fish species.
New US standards for import of catfish species demand the presence of inspectors at plants for one hour during an eight-hour shift. Dr Dodson explained that Guyana’s inspection system utilised a “risk-based approach”, which is a European Union (EU) standard. Guyana was among several countries banned recently from participating in the US catfish export sector.
