Brazil’s Ag Minister Blairo Maggi is coming to the U.S. in an attempt to reverse the American ban of beef imports from his country. R CALF CEO Bill Bullard says the USDA took the proper steps when banning Brazil’s beef because Brazil has systemic food safety problems that are widespread. He says that’s why Ag Secretary Sonny Perdue took action to stop their flow of imports but there are still problems.

He says tougher steps need to be taken to ensure U.S. consumers and the cattle herd are protected from Brazil’s beef imports.

Bullard says prior to the recent ban on Brazilian beef, there was a lot of unsafe product stopped at the U.S. border from Brazil.

Maggi has attributed the USDA’s safety concerns to the lumps some steers develop as a result of an allergic reaction to the vaccine against foot and mouth disease. He claims the lumps don’t represent a public health hazard.