United States Cattle groups are voicing concern over U.S. approval of imported beef from Brazil. Brazil’s Agriculture Minister says the U.S. market has been reopened to their beef effective immediately. National Cattlemen’s Beef Association’s Senior Director of International Trade and Market Access Kent Baucus says Brazil’s past history has not been good when it comes to beef safety or dealing with Foot and Mouth Disease concerns.
South Dakota Stock Grower’s Association President Scott Edoff says they’re also very concerned about Brazil regaining access to the U.S. market. He says USDA inspectors will have to do rigorous testing to make sure that Brazilian beef is safe and meets U.S. safety standards.
Baucus says in the past when Brazil shipped their beef to the U.S. they did not meet our safety standards.
Edoff says this development with Brazil highlights the need for having mandatory country of origin labeling in place to protect America’s cattle producers as well as U.S. consumers.
Brazil’s beef has been shut off from the U.S. market since June of 2017 when some of their shipments failed to meet safety checks.
