United States reopens market for Brazilian fresh beef

The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the Food Inspection and Safety Service (FSIS) have informed Brazil’s Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Food Supply (MAPA) that the US market for fresh beef is now open to Brazilian beef.

“Today we received with great satisfaction some long-awaited news: the reopening of the United States fresh beef market to Brazilian products. This is news that we have been looking forward to for some time and that today I am fortunate to receive. It is great news, because it brings recognition of the quality of Brazilian meat in a market as important as the American one,” said Minister Tereza Cristina.

As a result, Brazil will be able to start exporting fresh beef products to the USA. In the statement sent to MAPA, the FSIS said that Brazil has fixed the systemic problems that led to its previous suspension and that it is restoring the eligibility of fresh beef exports to the United States. In addition, the FSIS will close pending cases of breach of entry points associated with the 2017 suspension.

Before the first shipment, the Mapping Animal Products Inspection Department (Dipoa) must submit an updated list of certified eligible establishments.

Purchases of beef cuts from Brazil were suspended by the United States in 2017, due to reactions (abscesses) caused in the herd, to the foot-and-mouth vaccine.

Since the beginning of last year, the minister has held several meetings with the United States secretary of agriculture, Sonny Perdue, to discuss the matter. In June 2019, a veterinary mission from the United States was in Brazil to inspect beef and pork slaughterhouses. The mission returned in January this year.

In all, 21 slaughterhouses from five companies (JBS, Minerva Foods, Marfrig, Frisa and Mataboi) will be able to export to the USA initially.

The following graph, made with DataLiner data, shows Brazilian exports of fresh meat from 2015.

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