On 22 June 2017, the USDA suspended imports of all Brazilian raw fresh beef due to food safety and animal health concerns.
Last week, the USDA announced that upon completion of an audit of Brazil’s inspection system for beef slaughter and further processing, the FSIS determined that raw intact beef from Brazil is eligible for export to the US from cattle slaughtered on and after 21 February 2020, the date the suspension was lifted.
Brazil will be able to start shipping fresh beef products derived from slaughtered animals to the US. In a statement sent to Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Supply (MAPA), FSIS said that Brazil has corrected the systemic problems that led to the suspension and that will close pending cases of breach of entry points associated with the 2017 suspension.
MAPA minister Tereza Cristina welcomed the announcement as “great news”. “It brings recognition of the quality of Brazilian meat by a market as important as the American,” she said.
Since the beginning of last year, the minister has held several meetings with the Secretary of Agriculture of the United States, Sonny Perdue, to discuss the matter and in June 2019, a veterinary mission from the US was in Brazil to inspect beef and pork slaughterhouses.
Before the first shipment, the Mapping Animal Products Inspection Department (Dipoa) must submit an updated list of certified eligible establishments.