Source: Anna Flavia Rochas, MEATINGPLACE, 8/2/16


USDA announced an agreement with Brazil's Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Food Supply to allow access for U.S. beef and beef products to the Brazilian market for the first time since 2003. At the same time, Brazilian beef will now be allowed to export fresh and frozen beef to the United States.

Brazil's action reflects the United States' negligible risk classification for bovine spongiform encephalopathy by the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE) and aligns Brazil's regulations to the OIE's scientific international animal health guidelines.
"We are pleased that Brazil, a major agricultural producing and trading country, has aligned with science-based international standards, and we encourage other nations to do the same,” said Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack. Since last year, USDA has eliminated BSE-related restrictions in 16 countries, regaining market access for U.S. beef and pumping hundreds-of-millions of dollars into the American economy.

Both countries will immediately begin updating their administrative procedures in order to allow trade to resume. U.S. companies will need to complete Brazil's regular facilities registration process.

In a separate decision, USDA's Food Safety and Inspection Service also recently determined that Brazil's food safety system governing meat products remains equivalent to that of the United States and that fresh (chilled or frozen) beef can be safely imported from Brazil.

Following a multi-year science based review consistent with U.S. food safety regulations for countries that export meat, poultry and egg products to the United State, FSIS is amending the list of eligible countries and products authorized for export to the United States to allow fresh (chilled or frozen) beef from Brazil.

Fresh beef shipments from Brazil to the United States are expected to start in 90 days, according to Brazilian minister of Agriculture Blairo Maggi.

"The expectation is for shipments to start in the next 90 days after completion of administrative procedures by sanitary authorities from the two countries," Maggi said in a statement published on the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Supply's (MAPA) website.

Fresh beef bilateral trade between the two countries was first announced in June 2015, but was still pending agreement on sanitary standards and details about the qualification process to start shipments.

The Brazilian government expects fresh beef exports to the US to total  $900 million per year.

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