June 11, 2014 — A report in the Guardian newspaper on Tuesday alleging problems with the use of slave labor in Thailand’s shrimp supply chain—and the sale of those shrimp by major U.S. and U.K. retailers–could put further pressure on the U.S. State Department to drop Thailand from Tier 2 to the lowest-level Tier 3 status in its coming Trafficking in Persons Report.
But would Tier 3 status, which could result in the U.S. downgrading Thailand’s trading status, have any impact on Thailand’s shrimp industry, or on consumers in the U.S. and elsewhere who have become accustomed to inexpensive shrimp? “You may get some of the more conscientious buyers who will drop Thai suppliers…but for the ones who don’t care about their image or reputation I assume Tier 3 status won’t have a huge impact,” said John Sifton, Asia advocacy director for Human Rights Watch.
Both Human Rights Watch, which backs Tier 3 status for Thailand, and the National Fisheries Institute, the major trade association for the U.S. seafood industry, say a boycott of Thai shrimp in the U.S. or elsewhere would be counterproductive. Both organizations say it is better to engage the Thai government and seafood sector to continue making improvements to reduce the numbers of slave laborers and to further clean up the supply lines. “Responsible seafood importers are engaged on this issue and have a unique ability to drive change,” NFI said. “A boycott would undercut those efforts.” Human Rights Watch says labor brokers that supply these slave laborers to Thai fishing vessels and shrimp processing plants need to be cut out of the system.
Read the full story at the Wall Street Journal