WASHINGTON — June 19, 2014 — Taxpayers are worried about government waste. A Reason-Rup poll earlier this year found that Americans believe the government wastes about half of every dollar it receives.
For fish industry expert John Connelly, inspecting catfish has become as fishy as any federal program in Washington.
“Should the USDA do this job when the FDA has already done a great job?” asked Connelly.
The USDA's catfish inspection program has cost taxpayers more than $20 million since it was created in 2008. Six years in and the USDA has inspected…
“Zero catfish,” explained Connelly. “So what are taxpayers getting for their money? They are getting screwed is what they are getting. Because you are going to end up getting two regulators inspecting the same kind of facility.”
That's right, inspectors from both the FDA and USDA will stand side by side in many instances inspecting fish. On top of it, the National Marine Fisheries Service also inspects catfish. The FDA, as it has done for more than 30 years, will continue to examine fish, except for catfish like Basa that's imported from Vietnam.
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