U.S. Senators Bill Nelson of Florida and Mary Landrieu and David Vitter of Louisiana have filed legislation in the Senate designed to thwart a federal plan to ban the sale of fresh oysters harvested from the Gulf of Mexico during warm-weather months. Specifically, the legislation would prevent the U.S. Food and Drug Administration from using federal funds to implement a ban on sales of oysters that don’t undergo a sterilization process. The legislation was filed in response to an announcement last month by the FDA that it planned to prohibit the sale of raw oysters from Florida, Louisiana and Texas from April to October unless they had undergone post-harvesting processing. The FDA says the move is needed to prevent Vibrio vulnificus (V.v.) infections, which cause as many as 15 oyster-related deaths a year. Most Vibro deaths occur in people who have weak immune systems or suffer from other serious medical problems. Identical legislation was introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives last week by Congressman Allen Boyd. Many in the oyster industry fear the FDA proposal would put them out of business because of the costs involved to obtain sterilization equipment and some worry it could cause some consumers to shun oysters altogether –sentiments shared by the three Gulf Coast lawmakers. Senator Nelson said “The FDA has gone overboard in proposing a ban on raw oyster. It’s like trying to kill a gnat with a sledgehammer. Well, there's some of us in the Senate that are going to try to not let this happen. We’re going to stand up for the people, businesses and communities whose livelihoods depend on the oyster industry.” Senator Landrieu called the proposal “ a serious overreach by the FDA and it must be stopped adding that the regulation puts our entire oyster industry at risk and could force thousands of Louisianans out of work.
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