NCBA TO USDA: Halt Brazilian Fresh Beef Imports

The National Cattlemen’s Beef Association says it’s time to keep Brazilian fresh beef out of the US. Ethan Lane, Vice President of Government Affairs, recently told Brownfield News that Brazil’s inability to adhere to rules set by the World Organization for Animal Health for reporting cases of atypical bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) is concerning. “The Brazilians fail to report cases like that for in these cases 74 days when the standard the rest of the world adheres to, including the U.S., is hours or a day or so.”

Lane says they’ve sent a letter to Ag Secretary Tom Vilsack urging the USDA to immediately suspend all imports of fresh beef from Brazil to the United States until the USDA can conduct a thorough risk assessment. “We’ve asked them to initiate a risk assessment and review of the manner in which Brazil’s Minister of Agriculture and Livestock Food Supply conducts disease detection. We also want them to review Brazil’s veterinary diagnostics laboratory system.”

According to Lane, even if those reviews come back without any major violations, it isn’t enough. “We need to see a pattern of compliance here. We need to see the next couple of atypical cases be reported in a timely manner.”

Lane says their poor track record and lack of transparency raises doubts about Brazil’s ability to produce cattle and beef at an equivalent level of safety as American cattle producers.

EDITOR’S TAKE:

Health and safety protocols are intended to provide a safety barrier for the importing country, in this case the United States. They are designed to protect our livestock and producers. If, in fact, Brazil is unwilling to follow standard conventions, they should be limited from entering our markets. Our first concern is for the well-being of U.S. cattle and consumers!