Senators From Beef Ranching States Criticize Acceptance of Brazilian Beef Imports
A group of 15 senators, mostly from states with significant cattle ranching sectors, wrote to Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue Feb. 28 questioning the Department of Agriculture's decision to lift the ban on Brazilian raw beef imports (see 2002240023). The letter noted that in 2017, the USDA refused to import about 2 million pounds of Brazilian beef and then suspended all raw beef imports from the country “due to public health concerns, poor sanitary conditions, and animal health issues. Given that the United States halted Brazilian raw beef imports less than one year after Brazil was granted access in 2016, we have serious concerns about Brazil’s ability to maintain adequate food safety standards over the long run.”
Sign up for a free preview to unlock the rest of this article
Timely, relevant coverage of court proceedings and agency rulings involving tariffs, classification, valuation, origin and antidumping and countervailing duties. Each day, Trade Law Daily subscribers receive a daily headline email, in-depth PDF edition and access to all relevant documents via our trade law source document library and website.
It asked if USDA inspectors would go to the 20 facilities certified for export to the U.S. that have not yet been audited, and if so, when, and asked how the department would respond if Brazil doesn't follow through with corrective actions. The letter was led by Sen. John Thune, R-S.D., and was also signed by Sens. John Barrasso, R-Wyo., Cory Booker, D-N.J., Kevin Cramer, R-N.D., Steve Daines, R-Mont., Michael Enzi, R-Wyo., Deb Fischer, R-Neb., John Hoeven, R-N.D., Cindy Hyde-Smith, R-Miss., Jerry Moran, R-Kan., Gary Peters, D-Mich., Mike Rounds, R-S.D., Ben Sasse, R-Neb., Debbie Stabenow, D-Mich., and Jon Tester, R-Mont.