SEAFOODNEWS.COM by John Sackton — June 23, 2014 — Representatives of the Thai Frozen Foods Assoc. will come to the U.S. very soon for a week to meet with NFI, Walmart, Costco, and with other US retailers, regarding purchases of Thai shrimp.
Most retailers, and the TFFA, will discuss what types of 3rd party audits might be acceptable, and whether to use the International Labor Organization. As Thai shrimp companies have been some of the most vocal proponents of action in Thailand, many retailers will continue their purchasing. Overall little market impact is expected from the US State Dept. downgrade of Thailand, as a lot of preparatory work has been done.
Poj Aramwattananont, president of the association, said that food manufacturers are highly sensitive to the US report on Trafficking. In fact the TFFA had worked with the US industry and various international bodies to try and get the Thai government to take more effective enforcement action.
It is notable that the initial complaints about abuse of Migrant labor which focused on shrimp factories, among others, have largely subsided. The shrimp industry has been able to clean up the labor situation and eliminate abuses in areas where they have had control.
The documented abuses in the State Dept. Report and in NGO media reports no longer target shrimp factories, but say abuses occur in the sex trade, the garment industry, and on Thai fishing vessels. These vessels only have a small relationship to the Thai shrimp aquaculture industry. Most fishmeal in Thailand uses byproducts from tuna and other processing, and according to CP, only about 10% of fishmeal in use comes from the Thai local fishing industry, which is accused of abusive and forced labor practices.
"The US Trafficking in Persons Report [TIP] has created a bad reputation for Thai food industries," Poj told the Nation newspaper. "So, the association and involved organisations need to urgently solve the problem. Exports are not yet impacted as Thai enterprises have always worked on labour protection and addressed the concerns of our trading partners."
Poj, speaking to the Nation newspaper, also explained that normally Thai exporters and importers agree on a system that is "traceable". Importers have sent teams to inspect Thai plants regularly. However, in this difficult period, he felt a third party was needed to reaffirm confidence in Thai plants and the fisheries industry – from upstream to downstream production.
The Thai Commerce Ministry has instructed the Thai Trade Representative in Washington DC to increase understanding among American importers and government agencies in a bid to prevent any impact on Thai trade with the US.
Srirat Rastapana, permanent secretary at the ministry, said that the American National Fisheries Institute has insisted on continuing trade with Thailand.
Retailers taking measures to reassure themselves
Retailers, including Whole Foods, are not acting precipitously. Whole Foods issued a statement saying "Whole Foods Market takes a zero tolerance approach to human rights violations anywhere in our supply chain, and our suppliers sign a contract to uphold that standard. We have suspended our business with CP Food Products until they are able to provide us with substantiation that they have properly addressed the issue of human rights violations in their supply chain."
CP is working quickly to provide just that type of assurance. In the past, Whole Foods has heaped lavish praise on CP, as its primary supplier from Thailand. Writing about why its customers should have full confidence in Thai shrimp, Whole Foods said "We have full traceability back to the pond itself, and our shrimp is harvested to order – a rarity in the industry. "
"One of our buyers, Wesley Rose, headed [to Thailand] last year and came back exclaiming, “Not only one of the hottest places on earth, but one of the best run shrimp operations I’ve ever seen.”
"That means a lot from the man who’s been everywhere from Alabama and Texas to Honduras and Vietnam looking for the right product that can meet Whole Foods Market’s rigorous aquaculture standards. Of course, the shrimp from this Thailand producer meets or exceeds all of our standards and it wears our Responsibly Farmed logo with honor."
"What set’s this shrimp apart, aside from perfect flavor? Being fully integrated is only a piece of the puzzle. The farms from this producer operate in an area where mangrove destruction is not necessary. Regardless, they go the extra step and replant mangroves at many of their sites. They’ve also set up a foundation where they fund yearly scholarships for local children, assist local farmers in need and donate to local disaster relief organizations — not something you always find overseas."
The reason many retailers have relied on Thai shrimp producers has not changed with the Trafficking in Persons Report. As a result, many will continue their long term relationships with the proper assurances that their supply chains are responsible, transparent, and audited.
Little Market Impact Seen
The slowdown in Thai production due to EMS has had a much more signficant impact on shrimp availability than the latest failure of the Thai government to control labor abuses on fishing vessels.
In Southeast Asia, prices are again rising for shrimp at the farm level. Despite a temporary dip in China in the last few weeks due to some early harvesting, the primary dynamic has been the entry of processors into the market as the first shrimp crop matures.
This has led to increased local buyer demand, and like farmers everywhere, it has led Thai and Vietnamese farmers to slow down their production in the hope that prices will rise over the next few weeks.
This can be a self-fulfilling prophacy in a climate where there is competition for shrimp and overseas orders are strong, as is currently the case.
But local price increases due to supplier competition are a long way from impacting the overall wholesale shrimp prices in the US, which have generally continued on a weakening trend.
That market will stabilize based on consumer demand, and there are some signs that the price decline may have halted based on strong interest in shrimp orders.
Most importantly, the Thai labor situation is occuring on top of normal behavior in the shrimp markets and production areas, and is not likely to be a market moving event, although some companies may lose access to some US customers.
There is a strong enough demand for shrimp in other markets that these kinds of realignments should have no impact on overall market pricing.
The following story appeared on Seafoodnews.com, a subscription site. It has been reprinted with permission.