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S. 5613Senate119th Congress (2025-2027)In Committee

Ecuador Shrimp Tariff Act

A bill to increase the rate of duty on shrimp originating from Ecuador, and for other purposes.

Sponsored by Cindy Hyde-SmithSen. Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-MS)
Introduced September 30, 2026

AI-Generated Summary

Updated October 8, 2026 at 2:51 AM UTC

The Ecuador Shrimp Tariff Act raises U.S. import duties on shrimp and related seafood that come from Ecuador. The tariff increases in steps from 2027 through 2029 and adds an extra per‑kilogram charge. It also clarifies that certain cooked shrimp and crawfish products are not treated as processed foods for labeling rules, and it directs the use of the new duty revenue to fund inspections of imported shrimp and catfish.

Key Provisions

  • Starting in 2027, the general tariff on Ecuador shrimp rises to 10% (plus 25¢ per kilogram); it goes to 20% (50¢/kg) in 2028 and 40% ($1/kg) in 2029 and later.
  • An additional flat duty of $0.10 per kilogram is imposed on the same shrimp categories, with the money earmarked for inspection programs.
  • The law amends labeling rules so that whole cooked shrimp, whole cooked crawfish, and their sections are not considered “processed food items,” allowing them to be labeled without the usual restrictions.
  • The President must apply the new duties on top of any other existing duties.
  • The U.S. Trade Representative must adjust the country's GATT Schedule of Concessions to reflect the higher tariffs while respecting most‑favored‑nation obligations.

Legislative Activity

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1 earlier action
SenateIntro Referral Latest Action

Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance.

Finance Committee

September 30, 2026

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SenateIntro Referral

Introduced in Senate

September 30, 2026

SenateIntro Referral

Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance.

Finance Committee

September 30, 2026

Bill Text

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Introduced in SenateIssued September 30, 2026

II

119th CONGRESS

2d Session

S. 5613

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

September 30, 2026

Mrs. Hyde-Smith introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance

A BILL

To increase the rate of duty on shrimp originating from Ecuador, and for other purposes.

1.

Short title

This Act may be cited as the Ecuador Shrimp Tariff Act.

2.

Definitions

In this Act:

(1)

GATT 1947; GATT 1994

The terms GATT 1947 and GATT 1994 have the meanings given those terms in section 2 of the Uruguay Round Agreements Act (19 U.S.C. 3501).

(2)

HTS

The term HTS means the Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States.

(3)

Schedule of concessions

The term Schedule of Concessions means Schedule XX–United States of America annexed to the Marrakesh Protocol to the GATT 1994.

3.

Phase-in of duty increase for shrimp from Ecuador

(a)

Calendar year 2027

Effective on January 1, 2027, subheadings 0306.16.00, 0306.17.00, 0306.35, 0306.36, 0306.95, 1605.21, and 1605.29 of the HTS shall be applied and administered with respect to imports from Ecuador—

(1)

in the column 1 general rate of duty column, by substituting 10% for the rate of duty otherwise applicable; and

(2)

in the column 2 rate of duty column, by substituting 25¢/kg for the rate of duty otherwise applicable.

(b)

Calendar year 2028

Effective on January 1, 2028, subheadings 0306.16.00, 0306.17.00, 0306.35, 0306.36, 0306.95, 1605.21, and 1605.29 of the HTS shall be applied and administered with respect to imports from Ecuador—

(1)

in the column 1 general rate of duty column, by substituting 20% for the rate of duty otherwise applicable; and

(2)

in the column 2 rate of duty column, by substituting 50¢/kg for the rate of duty otherwise applicable.

(c)

Calendar year 2029 and thereafter

Effective on January 1, 2029, subheadings 0306.16.00, 0306.17.00, 0306.35, 0306.36, 0306.95, 1605.21, and 1605.29 of the HTS shall be applied and administered with respect to imports from Ecuador—

(1)

in the column 1 general rate of duty column, by substituting 40% for the rate of duty otherwise applicable; and

(2)

in the column 2 rate of duty column, by substituting $1/kg for the rate of duty otherwise applicable.

4.

Country of origin labeling for cooked shrimp and crawfish

(a)

In general

Section 281(1) of the Agricultural Marketing Act of 1946 (7 U.S.C. 1638(1)) is amended—

(1)

in subparagraph (A)(vi), by striking and; and

(2)

in subparagraph (B), by inserting before the period at the end the following: , except if the processed food item is whole cooked shrimp, whole cooked crawfish, cooked shrimp sections, or cooked crawfish sections.

(b)

Modification of definition of processed food item

The Secretary of Agriculture shall modify section 60.119 of title 7, Code of Federal Regulations (or successor regulations), to ensure that cooked shrimp, cooked crawfish, cooked shrimp sections, and cooked crawfish sections are not considered processed food items for purposes of that section.

5.

Additional duty on shrimp

(a)

In general

The President shall impose a duty on imports of shrimp under subheadings 0306.16.00, 0306.17.00, 0306.35, 0306.36, 0306.95, 1605.21, and 1605.29 of the HTS in an amount equal to $0.10 per kilogram.

(b)

Use of amounts

The President shall use an amount equal to the amount received by the United States pursuant to duties under subsection (a) to conduct inspections of shrimp and catfish imported into the United States.

6.

Treatment of duties

Duties under this Act are to be imposed in addition to any duty imposed under any other provision of law or pursuant to any other authority.

7.

Modification of schedule of concessions to GATT 1994

With due regard for the international obligations of the United States, particularly Article XXXVIII of the GATT 1947 requiring any suspension of trade agreement concessions to be made on a most-favored nation basis, the United States Trade Representative shall take the necessary steps to modify the Schedule of Concessions to accommodate the increase in the rate of duty applicable to shrimp from Ecuador under section 3 and the additional increase under section 5.