Brazil may lift ban on beef exports to US

Brazilian and US officials are edging toward an agreement Friday (Jun 11) on lifting a temporary suspension of processed beef shipments to the US.

 

Brazil's Agriculture Ministry has submitted a plan to resolve the suspension of processed beef exports to the US, which should be assessed by its US counterparts this week. But, so far, it is too early to set a date to restart exports, officials said.

 

The ministry in May voluntarily suspended all exports of processed beef to the US until the two countries could review health standards, after US authorities detected high levels of a medicine in a shipment of Brazilian beef.

 

 

The ministry's plan includes steps to increase animal-health testing; rules stipulating times between applying medicine and slaughtering cattle, as well as an education campaign to clarify and enforce the rules.

 

Brazilian animal-health inspectors will also visit their US counterparts for the second time between June 21-25 to assess US methodology and practices for testing. A mission had already visited the US June 7 and June 8.

 

In addition to steps by the government, companies in the beef industry such as JBS and Marfrig, a major beef exporter, will need to highlight steps to avoid contamination of exports, the ministry said.

 

In an apparently unrelated issue, Russia, the largest foreign buyer of Brazilian beef, also recently suspended imports of all animal products from eight Brazilian meat-processing plants owned by three companies. However, there is no change on the suspension by Russia.

 

Brazil is the world's No. 1 exporter of beef. About 23% of export sales go to Russia, and about 6% go to the US.