SRC-JEC S.C.R. 25 78(R)   BILL ANALYSIS


Senate Research Center   S.C.R. 25
By: Jackson
Health & Human Services
4/28/2003
As Filed


DIGEST

Imports of seafood from countries that use substances in aquaculture such
as chloramphenicol, nitrofurans, and other veterinary drugs banned for
such use in the United States pose potential threats to United States
consumers.  The State of Texas is concerned about the use of certain
antibiotics and other banned veterinary drugs in shrimp imported from
outside of the United States for consumption in the State of Texas.
Chloramphenicol, a potent antibiotic, can cause severe toxic effects in
humans, including hypoplastic anemia, which is usually irreversible and
fatal.  Because of such human health impacts, chloramphenicol,
nitrofurans, and similar veterinary drugs are not approved for use in
foodproducing animals in the United States; and 

Other countries, including Thailand, Vietnam, and China, have been found
to use these drugs in the aquaculture of shrimp and other seafood.  The
United States imports over 400,000 metric tons of shrimp annually, and
Thailand, Vietnam, and China are the largest, second largest, and fifth
largest exporter of shrimp to the United States, respectively.  On
detection of chloramphenicol in certain shipments of seafood from China
and other countries through the use of testing protocols that can detect
such substances to 0.3 parts per billion, the European Union and Canada
severely restricted imports of shrimp and other food from these countries
in 2002. 

The federal Food and Drug Administration inspects only two percent of all
seafood imports into the United States and uses a testing procedure that
cannot detect the presence of chloramphenicol below one part per billion.
Although the federal Food and Drug Administration tests of imported food
did not detect chloramphenicol in shrimp imported from China and other
countries in 2002, independent testing performed by or for Alabama,
Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Texas detected chloramphenicol in
samples of imported shrimp from those countries at levels harmful to human
health.  The denial of entry to the European Union and Canada of
contaminated shrimp and other products will likely redirect those
contaminated products to the United States. 
PURPOSE 
S.C.R. 25 submits the following resolutions:

That the 78th Legislature of the State of Texas hereby express concern
about the presence of chloramphenicol, nitrofurans, and other banned
veterinary drugs in imported shrimp, the potential adverse impact on the
safety of the food supply, and the resultant risk to human health. 

That the 78th Legislature of the State of Texas hereby call for immediate
and focused actions by the United States government to improve the
enforcement of food import restrictions on seafood imports containing
chloramphenicol, nitrofurans, and other banned veterinary drugs in order
to ensure the safety of the food supply, and to protect consumers in the
United States and, in particular, in Texas.