The Brazilian market, as found by the USDA, reflects the U.S. negligible risk classification for bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) by the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE) and aligns Brazil’s regulations to the OIE’s scientific international animal health guidelines.
Pleased with the decision, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said in the press release, “The Brazilian market offers excellent long-term potential for U.S. beef exporters. The United States looks forward to providing Brazil’s 200-million-plus consumers, and growing middle class, with high-quality American beef and beef products.”
In another recent, yet separate decision, the USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) determined that Brazil’s food safety system was in conjunction with the standards set by the U.S. and that fresh (chilled or frozen) beef could safely be imported from Brazil.
Voicing his concerns, the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association’s president, Tracy Brunner, said in a statement, “We cannot afford to jeopardize our nation’s livestock herds, which are the foundation of our global food supply, before all the possible risks to animal health and food safety have been properly addressed and precautions have been established.”
Brunner was referring to the USDA’s failure to provide the “detailed and documented science-based review” of the protocols used to determine an animal’s health status in different countries – information requested by the U.S. beef industry and Congress last year.
Furthermore, Brunner pointed out that the Government Accountability Office (GAO) is still in the process of reviewing the methodology used during the decision. He said, “With so much at stake there is no reason USDA shouldn’t be forthcoming with information and willing to wait for the completion of the GAO audit.”
According to the release, both countries will immediately begin updating their administrative procedures in order to allow trade to resume. 
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Cassidy Woolsey
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- Progressive Cattleman
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