In an effort to protect Louisiana’s struggling domestic seafood industry, state lawmakers on Wednesday passed sweeping changes to public health codes that will affect thousands of restaurants, food trucks, grocery stores and other food establishments across the state. They also include every state agency and school district that serves food.
Senate Bill 166, sponsored by Sen. Patrick Connick, R-Marrero, received final passage with overwhelming bipartisan support from both chambers.
Read MoreA plaintiff group, including Atchafalaya Basinkeeper, the Louisiana Crawfish Producers Association-West, Healthy Gulf, Sierra Club and its Delta Chapter, and Waterkeeper Alliance filed a lawsuit to challenge the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ approval of the Louisiana Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority’s (CPRA) East Grand Lake (EGL) project in the Atchafalaya Basin.
Read More“Crawfish aren’t just essential to my restaurant, they’re central to our culture here in south Louisiana,” explained Jason Seither, owner of Seither’s Seafood in Harahan, Louisiana, just outside of New Orleans. “And when crawfish prices get as high as they got this season, it threatens an entire way of life.”
On any given year, these two-clawed, ten-legged red crustaceans — reminiscent of a lobster but much smaller at only three to six inches long — dominate springtime social gatherings and the menus of casual restaurants across Louisiana and beyond.
Read MoreCongresswoman Letlow announced that crawfish will be covered under the Emergency Livestock Assistance Program and the USDA Farm Service Agency will begin delivering relief for crawfish production losses suffered in 2023 and moving forward.
Congresswoman Letlow began the push for crawfish assistance in September of 2023 with her Drought Assistance Improvement Act, following the severe drought disaster Louisiana experienced last summer.
Read MoreThis a huge win for Farm Bureau and should be a big relief to our crawfish farming members who are suffering one of their worst seasons in history.
The press release does a good job of explaining what is to come, but I’d like to share a few details from behind the scenes with you and to say some thank you’s and remind you of the effectiveness of your organization.
Read MoreCongressman Clay Higgins (R-LA) announced that the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) has granted his request and included crawfish in the Emergency Assistance for Livestock, Honey Bees, and Farm-raised Fish Program (ELAP).
In January, Congressman Higgins sent a letter to USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack requesting that drought be included as an eligible cause of loss for ELAP. This was a necessary action for Louisiana’s crawfish farmers to qualify and access emergency assistance in response to the severe drought in 2023.
Read MoreA proposed seafood bill in the state could create stricter regulations on imported fish.
One owner of a restaurant that’s been in the community for 80 years discusses why its important to keep seafood in Louisiana local.
Read MoreU.S. Congressmen Garret Graves (Louisiana) and Troy Carter (Louisiana) announced today that the U.S. Department of Agriculture will provide Emergency Assistance for Livestock, Honey Bees, and Farm-raised Fish (ELAP) funding to crawfish producers in Louisiana affected by last year’s drought. Graves and Carter led a formal request in February 2024 to the USDA, laying out the authority that Congress had already granted through the ELAP statute; the bipartisan letter asked that the Secretary of Agriculture immediately provide relief to Louisiana farmers who suffered significant crop losses in 2023 due to adverse weather. USDA announced today that they were able to use that discretion to authorize policy flexibilities that will allow crawfish producers to recover losses from last year’s extreme heat.
Read MoreThe U.S. Department of Agriculture expanded emergency assistance to crawfish farmers who suffered from weather issues last summer.
USDA changed regulations of the Emergency Assistance for Livestock, Honey Bees, and Farm-raised Fish, called ELAP, to include crawfish farmers in the federal grants for disasters.
Read MoreMore than 5,000 people filled the streets of downtown Wisner for the Fourth Annual South Franklin Catfish Festival.
“It was a great day,” Chairman Elliot Britt said. “I think it was the best festival we’ve had so far. We were worried about potential bad weather all week, but Saturday could not have been better. A huge thank you to the best committee anyone could ask for. Countless hours and planning goes into this event and we couldn’t do it without the support of a large group of volunteers. It really makes you feel good about our small town.”
Read MoreThe Illinois Department of Natural Resources (IDNR) is reminding the public and seafood distributors that importing and possessing live red swamp crayfish also known as crawfish or Louisiana crawfish, is prohibited by law in Illinois.
The crustaceans are a popular choice for live crawfish boils.
Read MoreAny Louisiana seafood lover will agree— the 2024 crawfish season has been far from normal.
As farmers battled with drought and saltwater intrusion in the fall, mudbug prices have stayed higher than average for most of the season, and the yield for many in the seafood industry has been significantly smaller.
Read MoreSeveral bills at the state legislature this session look to place stricter regulations on imported seafood.
Proponents say the bills would ensure consumers are getting a safe product and aid local fishing industries that are dying due to imported seafood.
Read MoreThe Fourth Annual South Franklin Catfish Festival is happening next weekend, and Leslie Young and Elliot Britt joined Good Morning ArkLaMiss to talk about the event.
Young says the festival is a family-friendly event that will feature live music, classic cars, vendors, food trucks and catfish. Britt says the festival is a great way for local business to be represented and the community to come together.
Read MoreThe House Health and Welfare Committee advanced a bill Wednesday that would require seafood sellers to clearly market whether the seafood is local or imported from other countries such as China.
Sen. Patrick Connick, R-Marrero, showed an image of a package of frozen crawfish sold at a local supermarket. Connick explained that the item named “Boudreaux’s Crawfish” was not from Louisiana but instead a product of China.
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