New York \u2013 A petition targeting Taiwanese seafood trading company FCF, has been lodged with the United States Customs and Border Protection (CBP) over strong concerns of forced labor and other human rights abuses in its supply chain. It alleges that the distant-water-fishing (DWF) fleets that provide for FCF have many years of documented allegations of human rights abuses, and therefore warrants CBP intervention to investigate and potentially block related seafood imports from entering the US market.[1]<\/p>\n\n
FCF, which last year acquired major US tuna brand Bumble Bee Seafoods<\/a>, has previously been accused of poor supply chain management<\/a> with forced labor, human trafficking, IUU (illegal, unreported, and unregulated) fishing, and illegal shark finning via its vessels, as well as potential links to the deaths of a fishery observer<\/a> and an Indonesian migrant fisher<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n \u201cFor years, Greenpeace and other organizations have documented reports of destructive fishing practices and human rights abuses in FCF\u2019s supply chains. We\u2019re confident that there is enough reasonable suspicion that seafood traded by FCF and imported by Bumble Bee and other US companies is produced by forced labor,\u201d says J. Park, US Senior Fisheries Campaigner for Greenpeace USA. \u201cThat\u2019s why we\u2019re calling on the CBP to do the right thing and pressure FCF to change its inadequate policies and remediate forced labor in its supply chain. Otherwise, the CBP should enforce action and block FCF imports from entering American ports, supermarkets, and homes because no company should be profiting from seafood caught with forced labor.\u201d<\/p>\n\n The petition, which has been filed by Greenpeace offices in the USA, Southeast Asia (Indonesia), and East Asia (Taipei) is backed by six other human rights and migrant fisher organizations;[2] with reasoning and content informed by various reports by Greenpeace Southeast Asia<\/a>, Greenpeace East Asia<\/a>, other human rights NGOs and trade unions, as well as international standards and guidance established by the UN International Labour Organization (ILO).[3]<\/p>\n\n Among its demands, the petitioners call for FCF to revise its human rights policy in accordance with international standards, commit to improving its social audit program in line with Greenpeace recommendations, publicly disclose its suppliers, improve and implement fair working conditions for its workers, and all within a 90-day period. If failing to do so after the timeframe, the CBP should block all FCF imports from entering the US. <\/p>\n\n \u201cMigrant fishers are enslaved in a system in which the payment they receive is not commensurate with the work and treatment they endure, and as a result they continue to be deprived of their rights. FCF, which owns a large amount of resources in the fishery industry, benefits enormously from exploiting this,\u201d says Allison Lee, Secretary General of Yilan Migrant Fishermen Union. \u201cWe support this petition because our concern is for the livelihoods and well-being of the fishers who work on board these vessels. FCF must not forget the people that make up the backbone of their company, and it is their responsibility to protect the rights of migrant fishers.\u201d<\/p>\n\n The CBP has previously blocked<\/a> imports from vessels linked to human rights and environmental violations, based in part on Greenpeace investigations<\/a>. If successful, this petition will compel FCF to secure the changes needed to continue selling its products to U.S. corporations and consumers. <\/p>\n\n Notes to Editor<\/strong>:<\/p>\n\n