Correspondence
Email sent to the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Acting Deputy Director of Communications, Ed Curlett.
The email outlined procurement contracts awarded by the USDA to five seafood companies whose supply chains are linked to Uyghur forced labor, and that the U.S. has prohibited the import of goods produced by forced labor. The email also asked for comment.
Paige at the U.S. Department of Agriculture press office replied: "Thank you for reaching out. I’m looping you with Allan Rodriguez, USDA’s Press Secretary." July 13, 2023: Allan Rodriguez emailed: "“USDA is committed to preventing forced labor and human trafficking. All agricultural products, including fish, purchased by USDA for use in food assistance programs are procured in accordance with the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) System, and must be grown and processed in the United States or its territories. The FAR implements procurement-related aspects of various statutes and Executive Orders, including those addressing forced or indentured child labor and the trafficking of persons. Thanks, Allan [Quoted text hidden] [Quoted text hidden] USDA includes FAR-prescribed contract terms regarding combatting human trafficking which outlines required notifications, contractual remedies, and contractor compliance with U.S. Government policy.”
Email sent to USDA Press Secretary Allan Rodriguez for further clarification on the USDA's statement. The email asked: 1. As we have identified five companies in the U.S. that are major providers of seafood to the USDA and these companies rely heavily, if not exclusively, on processing in China, how does the USDA ensure that all the seafood they’re providing through these contracts is processed in U.S.-based processing facilities? 2. Does the USDA verify this independently or do you rely on the contracted company to provide the verification? 3. If the latter, what types of information or documentation are required from the contractor to verify the country of origin and location of processing of the seafood provided under USDA contract?
Allan Rodriguez replied: "Confirming receipt and we are working to get you a response – however, we will need some additional time. Please let us know would if it would be possible to get you something tomorrow."
Allan Rodriguez replied with the following answers: 1. USDA requires that our seafood products be sourced in U.S. waters by U.S. flagged vessels and produced in U.S. establishments approved by the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Seafood Inspection Program. USDA ensures this requirement is met by conducting pre and post-production, on site audits. 2. USDA and the Department of Commerce verify requirements are being followed by conducting on site pre-production and post-production audits to ensure that contractual, technical, and operational requirements of each Department are met. In addition to verifying compliance with requirements, these on-site audits verify that processing facilities are based in the U.S. or its territories. 3. Each contractor must declare the production facilities and shipping points they intend to use to produce products for USDA. In addition to on-site verification, contractors are required to provide documents during audits that show compliance with contractual, technical, and operational requirements including domestic origin. Contractors that source seafood from both U.S. and international waters or flagged vessels must have a segregation plan in place that ensures only seafood sourced from U.S. waters and flagged vessels is provided to USDA’s food purchase program.