U.S. Senator Katie Britt, R-Alabama, on Friday celebrated an announcement that the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Agricultural Marketing Service will purchase up to $20 million in farm-raised catfish products. The announcement followed a letter Britt, U.S. Senator Cindy Hyde-Smith, R-Mississippi, and several Senate colleagues sent to Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins on behalf of the U.S. farm-raised catfish industry.
“Alabama’s catfish industry is a major economic driver for our state. This $20 million purchase by USDA will provide much-needed relief to hardworking producers and the families who rely on them,” Britt said. “I’m grateful to Secretary Rollins for her commitment to strengthening our catfish industry, supporting rural economies and ensuring Alabama’s producers can continue to provide high-quality U.S. catfish to families across the country.”
Alabama produces about 33 percent of the nation’s farm-raised catfish. The industry employs more than 2,400 people and contributes nearly $92 million to the state’s economy.
Britt has consistently pushed to protect domestic catfish markets by encouraging the purchase of surplus catfish products, according to her news release. She also supports the Cormorant Relief Act, which would allow catfish farmers to protect their ponds from predatory cormorant populations.
