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GUEST EDITORIAL
The Reality of Foreign Food
Imports -
The Good, The Bad, The Deadly
Ron Sparks
Commissioner of Agriculture
Ron Sparks has only been in office for eight months as one of Alabama’s
youngest Commissioners of Agriculture and Industries but, Commissioner
Sparks is no stranger to the agriculture community. Prior to being elected
to head the state’s Department of Agriculture and Industries, he held the
position of assistant commissioner.
The Agriculture and Industries Commissioner is charged with complimenting
and working with Agri-Business to protect the farmers and consumers of this
state. Commissioner Sparks fulfills his duties by maintaining a vigil on
imported food stuffs into our country and making sure these imports abide by
the same quality controls to which our farmers and producers must adhere.
While serving as assistant commissioner Sparks traveled to the country of
Vietnam to survey their “farm raised catfish” production and compare it to
what was being done here in Alabama. What he found was a world where
sanitary safeguards and health regulations were almost nonexistent. “I have
seen first hand the conditions under which these fish that the Vietnamese
try to sell in the United States as “catfish are grown,” said Sparks. “Those
fish are raised in the rivers of the Mekong Delta that are very unsanitary.”
As a result of lax health standards and a labor force that works for mere
pennies a day, Vietnam is able to dump their product into the United States
at greatly discounted prices forcing many our farmers out of business. This
is a prime example of what unregulated food imports can do to domestic
markets. Not only does it take jobs away from the United States and Alabama,
but in some cases the food can be harmful and even deadly.
In February of this year Commissioner Sparks issued a stop sale order on
several brands of crab meat that were being sold here in Alabama. The crab
meat had been found to be contaminated with an antibiotic called
chloramphenicol. Chloramphenicol is a high powered antibiotic that is used
by medical professionals as a last resort. It has been banned from use in
this country by the Food and Drug Administration because some people could
have an allergic reaction to this drug and in some cases it could cause
death.
“I have said for years that in order for the farmers and producers in
Alabama to compete in today’s global market, they must be able to compete on
an even playing field,” Sparks said. “Most countries do not have the strict
health regulations that we do here in the United States; our farmers produce
the world’s most abundant and safest food in the world.”
In August, the International Trade Commission voted to impose tariffs on
catfish imported from Vietnam. Commissioner Sparks said that he fully
supports a recommendation by the U.S. Commerce Department to impose a 37
percent to 64 percent tariff on Vietnamese catfish illegally dumped on U.S.
markets. “Those of us
familiar with the fish industry know that the fish the Vietnamese call
‘catfish’ and are selling in this country at less than the actual production
cost is causing a major financial problem for our catfish farmers.” “Our
catfish farmers raise their fish under strict sanitary conditions,” said
Sparks. “We have no idea what could be in those rivers they grow their fish
in over there.”
In the 1950’s Alabama had over 200,000 family farms in operation. Today
there are less than 50,000 in operation. Growing imports and more and more
production facilities being relocated over seas have caused a constant
downward trend in not only farming but in as well. “I have pledged to the
people of Alabama to do whatever I can to ensure that we protect the family
farm and the consumers of this state and nothing will detour me away from
that pledge.”
In an effort to better inform the public of where their food is coming from,
Sparks has been a champion of the Country of Origin Labeling movement in the
United States. This would call for all foods to be labeled with their
country of origin. With that, a person could tell whether the pack of
hamburger that they just bought at the local grocery store was from Texas or
Argentina. And, if the “gulf shrimp” that they just ordered at the local
seafood restaurant was caught in the Gulf of Mexico or the Persian Gulf.
Sparks, who has been involved in Alabama politics for many years, could be
found working the halls of the Alabama State House on a daily basis this
past session where he fought for the passage of a Country of Origin Labeling
bill. This bill would require the point of origin labeling on seafood sold
in Alabama. “I have always been a strong advocate for Country of Origin
Labeling,” Sparks said. “I believe that every Alabamian has the right to
know where their food is coming from and I will continue to fight for the
passage of such a law.”
While maintaining a watchful eye on imports Commissioner Sparks has also
been very busy opening new markets for Alabama. Several trade missions have
been made by the Department of Agriculture and Industries since Commissioner
Sparks was sworn in. The most recent was in August to the island nation of
Cuba. Sparks led a delegation that was able to secure millions of dollars in
contracts and letters of intent from the Cuban Government. “I feel that Cuba
is a diamond in the ruff and that Alabama is sitting in a prime spot to do
business with Cuba when the trade embargo imposed by the United States is
lifted.” said Sparks. “Currently sanctions have been lifted so that U.S.
companies can sell agricultural and medical goods to Cuba. A special treat
of the trip was when Sparks and his delegation had the rare privilege of
meeting with Cuban President Fidel Castro for over three and a half hours
during their visit. Sparks stated "That visit will go along way toward
creating many more opportunities for Alabama farmers and producers to sell
their goods to Cuba. That will mean more economic development and more jobs
for the hard working people of Alabama."
Ron Sparks
Commissioner of Agriculture
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