The return to fast-paced beef exports indicates that Brazil’s cattle producers and meatpackers may avoid lasting damage from the bribery scandal that rocked the country early this year, said Agrimoney. It cited an estimate by the U.S. agricultural attache in Brasilia that the country would export 1.91 million tonnes of beef in 2018, the fourth year in a row of larger shipments.
The attache said, “South Africa, Iraq, Iran, Malaysia, Myanmar, and Singapore not only resumed beef imports from Brazil, but mutual negotiations between these countries and the Brazilian government are centered in the eligibility of new Brazilian plants for exports.” There were hopes of larger sales to China as well as ongoing negotiations with Thailand and Taiwan for market access.
Blairo Maggi, Brazil’s agriculture minister, said the U.S. ban on imports of fresh beef could be lifted in October, reported Reuters. The shipments were cut off in late June because of a higher-than-acceptable rejection rate over safety violations. While the United States is a small customer for Brazilian beef, its high meat-safety standards could be taken as a cue by other nations, said the wire service.