Brazil reports that the US will allow fresh imports of Brazilian beef
On Friday, Brazil’s Agriculture Minister announced that the United States reopened its market for fresh Brazilian beef exports with immediate effect.
24 February 2020
1 minute read
According to reporting from Reuters, Brazilian Agriculture Minister Tereza Christina Dias made the announcement of Friday 21 February, stating that exports will resume immediately.
The United States had previously halted imports of fresh beef from Brazil in June 2017, alleging that some shipments didn’t pass food safety checks.
Brazil is one of the largest beef producers globally, exporting $7.3 billion in industrialised and fresh beef products last year.
"We were waiting for this news for some time and today we were fortunate to receive it," Dias said on Twitter.
Though the measure will take effect immediately, there are some necessary steps that need to be completed. This includes the Brazilian government sending a list of beef packers that are approved to export to the US. A large Brazilian beef exporter told Reuters that the impact would not be as immediate as the Agriculture Ministry implied.
“It is a great step, but they need to be clearer in their communications.”
The USDA had no immediate comment.
The USDA had banned Brazilian imports of fresh beef after its testing procedures and a 2017 investigation into corruption indicated that Brazil’s health inspectors and meat companies including JBS SA and BRF SA could not guarantee the safety of the products heading to the American market.
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