The US has reopened its doors to imports of Brazilian beef after a more than two-year suspension.
The Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS), an agency of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), confirmed that the US had granted access again to Brazilian fresh beef exports, effective from 21 February.
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In 2017, Brazil suspended exports of beef to the US amid allegations of corruption involving some of the South American country’s largest meat processors, including reports of officials taking bribes to overlook unsanitary conditions in a case that became known as Carne Fraca, or Weak Flesh.
A spokesperson for the FSIS said in a statement sent to just-food: “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 from Brazil in 2017.
“FSIS confirmed that Brazil has implemented necessary corrective actions and has determined that Brazil’s food safety inspection system governing raw intact beef is equivalent to that of the US. Therefore, FSIS is lifting the suspension to export raw beef products to the US, effective February 21, 2020. Raw beef products from Brazil will be subject to re-inspection at US points of entry by FSIS import inspectors as is required with meat, poultry, and processed egg products from other countries.”
The National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) has acknowledged the move, along with US Senator Jon Tester. Both have disputed the decision, instigated by US Secretary for Agriculture Sonny Perdue.
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By GlobalDataA statement from Tester’s office said: “Following reports in 2017 that Brazil was exporting rotten beef and attempting to cover it up with cancer-causing acid products, Tester successfully urged the USDA to implement a ban on Brazilian fresh beef imports. Last year, Tester introduced legislation that would require the Secretary of Agriculture to create a working group comprised of food safety experts and relevant trade agencies to comprehensively investigate safety threats related to Brazilian beef.”
Tester added in the statement: “Let’s be clear, Brazil put American families at risk by exporting rotten beef into American grocery stores and covering it up with cancer-causing chemicals. Now, Secretary Perdue is letting them off the hook without a long-term plan to make sure it doesn’t happen again.”
Meanwhile, Kent Bacus, the senior director for international trade and market access at the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association, said the organisation “has serious concerns about the re-entry of Brazilian beef”.
Bacus continued: “NCBA has frequently questioned the lack of scientific evidence that was used to justify Brazil’s initial access to the US market in 2016, and unfortunately, we were not surprised when Brazil forfeited its beef access to the US in 2017 due to numerous food-safety violations.
“NCBA praised Secretary Perdue for standing up for science-based trade and holding Brazil accountable for their numerous violations by suspending Brazil’s access and subjecting Brazil to undergo a thorough science-based inspection and audit process. It is evident that USDA believes that Brazil has addressed the concerns raised in the audit process, and steps will soon be taken to restore Brazil’s access to the United States.”
