Brazil and Argentina will be allowed to ship raw beef to the United States if they follow specific steps to mitigate the risk of highly contagious foot-and-mouth disease, said the USDA in an announcement that coincides with a U.S. visit by the president of Brazil. The decision applies to the Patagonia region of Argentina and 13 of Brazil’s 26 states, plus its capital district. “This is the first step of a process for these regions to gain access to the U.S. market for beef,” said the USDA. “Brazil and Argentina also need to meet food safety standards prior to being able to export any beef to the United States.” The regulations to carry out the decision would take effect 60 days after appearing in the Federal Register.
In the case of Brazil, the USDA said its approval for beef exports from a portion of the country came with safeguards that require the area be free of foot-and-mouth disease for at least one year, bar commingling of beef for export with beef from other regions, and require deboning and chilling of beef before shipment. “Our findings regarding Brazil’s disease-control capabilities give us confidence that the mitigation methods required under this rulemaking will safely permit the importation of fresh beef from Brazil,” said the department.
The National Farmers Union disagreed with the USDA’s decision, saying, “Today’s decision to allow imports of beef from Brazil and Argentina, regions with a history of foot-and-mouth disease, puts the economic livelihood of American producers at risk, as it unnecessarily exposes the U.S. livestock industry to a highly contagious disease.” The consumer group Food and Water Watch said the decision was “a welcome present” for Brazil president Dilma Rousseff, who is to meet President Obama today.