Brazil allows U.S. beef shipments for first time in 13 years

The U.S. Department of Agriculture has reached an agreement with Brazil’s Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Food Supply to allow access for U.S. beef and beef products to the Brazilian market.    The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has reached an agreement with Brazil’s Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Food Supply to allow access for U.S. beef and beef products to the Brazilian market for the first time since 2003.
   Brazil’s action reflects the United States’ “negligible risk” classification for bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE), or “mad cow” disease, by the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE) and aligns Brazil’s regulations to the OIE’s international animal health guidelines, USDA said.
   “After many years of diligently working to regain access to the Brazilian market, the United States welcomes the news that Brazil has removed all barriers to U.S. beef and beef product exports,” said Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack in a statement.
   Both countries are now updating their administrative procedures to allow this trade to resume. U.S. companies will need to complete Brazil’s regular facilities registration process.
   In a separate decision, USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) recently determined that Brazil’s food safety system governing meat products remains equivalent to that of the United States and that fresh (chilled or frozen) beef can be safely imported from Brazil.
   “Since last year alone, USDA has eliminated BSE-related restrictions in 16 countries, regaining market access for U.S. beef and pumping hundreds-of-millions of dollars into the American economy,” Vilsack said.
   In addition to Brazil, other countries since last year that have re-opened their borders to U.S. beef shipments include Colombia, Costa Rica, Egypt, Guatemala, Iraq, Lebanon, Macau, New Zealand, Peru, the Philippines, Saint Lucia, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, South Africa, Ukraine and Vietnam.