Murkowski legislation prohibits agencies from using 3rd party certification in purchasing guidelines SEAFOOD.COM NEWS by John Sackton Sept 19, 2013 Alaska Sen. Lisa Murkowski introduced the “Responsible Seafood Certification and Labeling Act” in the Senate yesterday. The bill would prohibit all agencies of the US government from using 3rd party non-governmental certifications for seafood purchases. The text of the bill is that no executive agency of the United States may: (1) require or reference a certificate of sustainability, or otherwise identify as sustainable, based on criteria or standards developed by a third party non-governmental organization in awarding a contract for (A) the procurement of fish or seafood; (B) concessions or vending, including the sale of fish or seafood; (2) endorse the use of any label, standard, or other scheme to certify fish or seafood as sustainable based on criteria or standards developed by a third party non-governmental organization. In her floor statement, Sen. Murkowski said: The salmon fisheries are a major part of my state’s seafood economy and commercial fishermen around the state harvested more than 265 million salmon this season. With nearly 1 in 7 Alaskans employed in the commercial seafood industry, and numbers like the ones I just shared, you can understand why I take seriously how the federal government affects my state’s fishermen. On June 5, the National Park Service announced new guidelines to promote healthy food options for concessionaires at National Park Service facilities. These guidelines include the following statement: “Where seafood options are offered, provide only those that are ‘Best Choice’ or ‘Good Alternatives’ on the Monterey Bay Aquarium Seafood Watch list, certified sustainable by the Marine Stewardship Council, or identified by an equivalent program that has been approved by the NPS.” Within the week, I was hearing from constituents, and they were not happy. Digging further into the origins led to policies developed by the Department of Health and Human Services and the General Services Administration that served as precursors to the NPS Guidelines, and an indication that this is a broader problem within the federal government. I believe it is bad federal policy to allow 3rd party certifiers, including Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) from the UK, to be the arbiters of what seafood is allowed to be sold in National Parks, or procured by federal agencies. Not too long ago, wild Alaska salmon served as the flagship species for MSC. Now MSC is disparaging the “sustainability” of Alaska salmon. These NGOs have political agendas, lack transparency, and are soliciting payment for their certification schemes. These NGOs are meddling, and their efforts to usurp federal and state management expertise is harming U.S. seafood interests. What started as voluntary efforts to differentiate well-managed fisheries, to create market value for seafood products, to reward responsible fishermen and processors, has turned into an aggressive scheme apparently intent on taking over federal and state management responsibilities, intruding into the fabric of fisheries management in my state and around the country. The U.S. currently spends almost a billion tax dollars each year to sustainably manage American fisheries in compliance with the Magnuson-Stevens Act. There is no reason to let groups with no accountability interfere with this process. The bill I am introducing today will prohibit any US federal agency from requiring or endorsing the use of any third party non-governmental organization’s label, criteria or other scheme to certify fish or seafood as sustainable. This prohibition will apply to any federal agency’s purchase of fish or seafood, the sale of fish or seafood by a vendor or lessee on federal land or property, and any reference to a seafood sustainability standard developed by a third party non-governmental organization in any regulation, policy or guideline. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- John Sackton, Editor And Publisher Seafood News 1-781-861-1441 Email comments to jsackton@seafood Copyright © 2013 Seafoodnews
Posted on: Thu, 19 Sep 2013 16:38:29 +0000
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