Ag Policy Blog

Argentina and Brazil Beef Imports Approved Despite FMD Risks

Chris Clayton
By  Chris Clayton , DTN Ag Policy Editor
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USDA's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service announced Monday it was changing its regulations to allow imported chilled or frozen beef from parts of Argentina and Brazil, as long as the exporters take steps to mitigate the risks of foot-and-mouth disease.

The bans go back decades, but the U.S. also has successfully kept FMD out of the livestock herd since 1929. Still, USDA is issuing separate rules essentially allowing Argentina and Brazil to export beef from regions known for outbreaks of the highly infectious livestock disease.

It would generally be considered a pretty rare occurrence that the National Cattlemen's Beef Association finds itself in agreement with the group Food & Water Watch. But the two disparate groups nonetheless find themselves equally appalled at USDA for allowing imported beef from northern Argentina and 14 states Brazil known for FMD outbreaks.

Wenonah Hauter, executive director of Food & Water Watch, stated, APHIS is effectively "thumbing its nose" at members of Congress who wanted a Government Accountability Office study on the two rules. She also noted the rules seemed to move swiftly through the White House Office of Management and Budget. The import restrictions are being lifted just a day before Brazil's president comes to D.C. to meet with President Obama.

“Brazil and Argentina have checkered food safety records, as USDA has been forced on several occasions to suspend imports of products currently eligible to come into the U.S. for various food safety violations and for failure to meet our inspection standards," Hauter stated.

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FMD affects cloven-hoofed animals such as cattle, hogs, sheep, goats, deer, elk and bison. The disease is particularly virulent toward cattle and hogs.

NCBA President Philip Ellis, a cattleman from Chugwater, Wyo., lashed out at the "arrogance of this administration" for pressing ahead with the rules without consulting those who would be most affected.

“FMD is a highly contagious and devastating disease, not just for the cattle industry, but for all cloven-hoofed animals and it can be introduced and spread through the importation of both fresh and frozen products," Ellis said. "In 1929, our industry took profound and personally devastating steps to eradicate this disease and the United States has been FMD free ever since. But the actions of this administration for purely political gain threaten the very viability of our entire industry and threaten hundreds of thousands of American cattle-producing families.”

NCBA stated USDA's rule violates the federal rulemaking process regarding executive orders and scientific integrity. NCBA also noted the rule circumvents the GAO review as well.

It should be noted that Argentina and Brazil would effectively be operating under the same rules that USDA allows for Uruguay to export to the U.S. even though Uruguay is not considered FMD free.

Nonetheless, USDA estimates in its FMD action plan that a nationwide outbreak of the disease could cost $15 billion to $100 billion. If an FMD outbreak were to occur at a livestock operation, essentially USDA would order the "stamping out" of the disease by culling every animal within a six-to-seven mile radius of an index case, as well as quarantine and testing for every animal in a wider region.

USDA's statement on the proposed rule: http://dld.bz/…

USDA's "red book" on how it would handle an FMD outbreak: http://www.aphis.usda.gov/…

If only there were a way to label where meat comes from ...

Follow me on Twitter @ChrisClaytonDTN.

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Comments

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Bonnie Dukowitz
6/30/2015 | 8:22 PM CDT
Nor Avian flu in turkeys, Thiago. Food security should be a two way street.
THIAGO ROCHA
6/30/2015 | 8:50 AM CDT
This issue was in the USDA agenda for a long time. It's a important matter for both countries, both will get benefits with this decision. Answering the "FMD Risks concern", it was proved a long time ago that in natura meat can not carry the virus, so no risk.
Bonnie Dukowitz
6/30/2015 | 5:58 AM CDT
"Just a day before Brazil's president comes to Washington"? Good Grief.