Source: MEATINGPLACE, 7/17/15

The Senate appropriations committee has passed an agriculture funding bill that delays the end of a ban on beef from Brazil and Argentina and extends the ban on horse slaughter, among other provisions.

The bill, containing $143.8 billion in discretionary and mandatory funding, was passed by a 28-2 vote.

The bill would block funding to implement USDA’s new rule permitting the import of beef from Argentina and Brazil until the secretary of agriculture conducts updated risk evaluations related to animal diseases.

A USDA rule published earlier this month paved the way for the re-opening of fresh beef imports from 14 Brazilian states and northern Argentina.

The Senate bill includes an amendment prohibiting funding for inspections of horse meat that would effectively prevent horse slaughter in the United States.

A House panel defeated a similar amendment to its spending bill.

The Senate legislation also contains $1.46 billion for Food for Peace grants that support the delivery of American-grown food, transported by U.S. ships, to foreign countries experiencing chronic hunger crises.

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