Shrimp farmers call for end to Uyghur exploitation

Atlantic shrimp caught be Argentinian fishers is exported to China for processing before being sold in the US as a product of Argentina.

The Southern Shrimp Alliance, which represents fishers and producers across eight states, is arguing that some of this processing is carried out by members of the Uyghur minority who are forcibly moved from their autonomous region and coerced into working in processing factories in Shandong.

“Americans purchasing Argentinian shrimp unknowingly contribute to Uyghur oppression, as they have no way of knowing whether it was packed in plants in Shandong under current labelling laws,” says SSA.

SSA has petitioned the Forced Labor Enforcement Task Force (FLETF) to add eight Chinese seafood processing plants in Shandong to the list maintained under the Uyghur Forced Labor Protection Act (UFLPA), ensuring that seafood emanating from these plants would no longer reach the US unless importers can demonstrate that the Chinese supplier does not use Uyghur labour.

SSA is also asking the FLETF to formally recognise seafood as a priority for UFLPA enforcement.

“Our shrimp industry is facing a huge number of challenges right now, and commercial fishing families across the southern coast are suffering,” said John Williams, executive director of SSA.

“While our boats are tied up, seafood importers are scouring the globe to find the most vulnerable populations to make a buck off of. This is morally wrong, and it is against the law. We ask for nothing more than the enforcement of our laws.”