Purpose
The Japanese government enacts Geographical Indication (GI) protection legislation which registers agricultural, forestry and fishery products and foodstuffs that own their tradition and specificity attributed to the geographical area and own brand names which are connected and...
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Introduction
Historically, Thailand’s agriculture has long been the root of the nation since the start of its era, but the agriculture production was introduced by the West after the influence of the Bowring Treaty of 1855 with Britain. The treaty led to an increase in...
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ABSTRACT
Exploitation in Thai agricultural sector employment is severe. Workers face poor working conditions as well as receiving a daily wage lower than the minimum wage. Labor protection does not apply well because the majority of workers in the Thai agricultural sector are illegal immigrant...
Global seafood processors are facing pressure to clean up their supply chains, after the U.S. Department of Labor added fish caught in Taiwanese waters to its list of goods produced with forced labor, throwing the island's large seafood industry into turmoil.
The designation could lead to U.S. import restrictions on Taiwan-caught seafood and significantly impact the future of the island's seafood industry. Taiwan exports more than $1.3 billion of seafood annually, but its fishing fleet has long been associated with abuse and nonpayment of migrant fishermen, mostly from Southeast Asia.
The forced labor tag also puts new pressure on Fong Chun Formosa Fishery, or FCF, a Taiwanese seafood trading giant with a major presence in the U.S., Europe and Japan that bought U.S.-based tuna canner Bumble Bee Foods in January.
Taiwan's inclusion on the Labor Department's 2020 List of Goods Produced by Child Labor or Forced Labor is a major black mark against Taiwan's seafood traders and its fishing fleet, which is the world's second largest. The list, which includes Taiwan for the first time, is referred to by U.S. companies to determine sourcing, and is key in government decisions to block imports.
Taiwan's government has promised a few labor reforms but has resisted calls to expand regulation of its fishing fleet to the level of regional competitors such as Thailand, a fellow seafood giant that is also on the U.S. forced labor list. The decision will have "significant implications" for companies that source from Taiwan's fleet, said Andy Shen, senior oceans adviser at environmental pressure group Greenpeace.
Read more here.