USDA to Allow Imports of Beef From Brazil
The U.S. Department of Agriculture recently reached a deal with Brazil that will allow for trade in beef and beef products, it said (here). U.S. beef and beef products will be allowed access to Brazil for the first time since Brazil banned U.S. beef in 2003 over concerns about bovine spongiform encephalopathy, USDA said. “In a separate decision,” the Food Safety and Inspection Service “recently determined” that Brazil’s food safety system for meat products is equivalent to the U.S. good safety system, meaning fresh (chilled or frozen) beef can be safely imported from Brazil. “Following a multi-year science based review consistent with U.S. food safety regulations for countries that export meat, poultry and egg products to the U.S., FSIS is amending the list of eligible countries and products authorized for export to the United States to allow fresh (chilled or frozen) beef from Brazil,” USDA said.
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Sen. Jon Tester, D-Mont., said he opposes FSIS’s decision absent “further information and assurances,” and called on Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack to ensure FSIS’s new Brazilian beef import rule protects U.S. consumers and the Montana cattle industry, and safeguards Americans against foot and mouth disease (here). In an Aug. 4 letter to Vilsack, Tester asks what steps FSIS took to verify that Brazilian beef facilities are equivalent in nature to U.S. facilities, what validation methods are in place for ongoing compliance, whether FSIS is considering third-party verification, and what processes will be implemented to trace the movement of Brazilian beef imports after they enter the U.S.