USDA to Lift Ban on Intact Beef Imports From Brazil
The Food Safety and Inspection Service will lift a ban on imports of raw, intact beef from Brazil, it said in an emailed update. Imports from Brazil have been suspended since June 2017 based on food safety concerns (see 1706230018). “FSIS recently conducted a targeted, on-site equivalence verification audit of Brazil’s raw intact beef products to verify the implementation of corrective actions in response to several audits and technical discussions since FSIS suspended the export of raw intact beef,” the agency said.
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Trade and advocacy groups criticized the move. The National Cattlemen’s Beef Association said it “has serious concerns about the re-entry of Brazilian beef to the U.S. market.” The group says it will “keep an eagle eye focus on all developments with Brazil and we expect nothing less than the highest level of scrutiny from USDA and customs officials.” Food and Water Watch said in an emailed statement that the “about-face is a breach of public safety.” Sen. Jon Tester, D-Mont., said Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue is letting Brazil “off the hook without a long-term plan to make sure” food safety issues don’t resurface.