Brazil has lifted 13-year-old trade restrictions on US beef, whilst Washington has opened its door to Brazil’s finest processed beef. Both moves represent a major development in the global meat trading landscape as both nations are regarded a beef trading behemoths. The deal with Brazil has been welcomed by the North American Meat Institute (NAMI), which said the move will boost opportunities without putting consumers at risk.
“The Brazilian market offers great opportunity for US companies and it is a market the industry has been working to regain access to for years,” said NAMI president and CEO Barry Carpenter. “We are also pleased that Brazil has recognised what the World Organisation for Animal Health did: that US beef is as safe as any in the world with negligible risk for BSE (bovine spongiform encephalopathy).”
Safety assured
Now that Brazil has full market access in the UK, it is expected that its beef will compete with other products from South America under the US tariff rate quota system. Under this scheme only a limited volume of beef from Brazil will enter the US market without having to pay a 26.4% tariff.
NAMI expects the majority of Brazilian beef exports to be mince and processed meat products.
“The Meat Institute has long supported international trade based on sound scientific risk assessments,” said Carpenter on the bilateral trade deal. “This approach delivers strong opportunity for the industry while ensuring the safety of products for consumers.”