Access to USDA loans, processing infrastructure studies, and Office of Seafood authorization move forward.
The Senate Agriculture Committee advanced its version of the Farm Bill, taking a major step toward aligning federal agricultural policy with the needs of the U.S. commercial fishing and seafood supply chain.
For California processors, distributors, wholesalers, and commercial fishers, this bill contains several policy wins aimed at strengthening domestic seafood competitiveness against cheap foreign imports.
Key Provisions
- Equal Access to USDA Loans: The bill redefines “farmer,” “rancher,” and “farm” to explicitly include commercial fishers and harvesting vessels. This change gives wild-capture harvesters access to low-interest USDA financing – improving economic stability across the vessel fleet that supplies our processors and wholesalers.
- Permanent USDA Office of Seafood: The legislation formally codifies the USDA Office of Seafood into law. This gives our sector a permanent advocate inside the Department to ensure seafood processors and handlers are included in federal purchasing programs, marketing grants, and trade support.
- Domestic Seafood Processing Study: Lawmakers included a mandate directing federal agencies to evaluate how to expand domestic seafood processing capacity in coastal communities. Addressing processing bottlenecks remains vital for keeping high-value California landings inside local supply chains.
- Shrimp Trade & Competitiveness Report: In response to severe market pressures on domestic fleets, the bill requires a report detailing policy mechanisms to boost the competitiveness of domestic shrimp against low-cost imported products in both domestic and global markets.
- Expanded Country-of-Origin Labeling (COOL): Mandatory COOL requirements will extend to cooked salmon, canned salmon, king crab, and tanner crab, helping buyers and consumers clearly identify domestic wild products.
Next Steps
The Senate bill now heads to the floor for a full vote. Because the House passed its own version in May (incorporating the American Seafood Competitiveness Act), negotiators will reconcile both bills before sending final legislation to the White House.