May 20, 2013 — Arkansas farmers and food researchers are paying close attention to farm bill that's moving through congress right now.
Leaders of Aquaculture/Fisheries Center at the University of Arkansas Pine Bluff (UAPB) want lawmakers to change inspection procedures for catfish.
The bill would mandate that the Department of Agriculture inspect all catfish instead of the Food and Drug Administration, who currently does it.
Supporters of this move say the FDA only inspects less than 1 percent of all catfish.
They say catfish from other countries do not undergo the same type of regulations than required here in the U.S.