Tester, Daines demand halt of Brazilian fresh beef imports
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News from the office of Senator Daines
U.S. SENATE — U.S. Senators Jon Tester and Steve Daines today joined a bipartisan effort to help support Montana ranchers by calling on the U.S. Department of Agriculture to immediately suspend fresh beef imports from Brazil.
“Cattle producers across the country work hard to produce the highest quality beef in the world,” the letter states. “This industry should not be jeopardized by Brazilian beef imports that may contaminate U.S. herds and our food supply. We support the requests to suspend Brazilian fresh beef imports until a thorough investigation can be made into Brazil’s Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock, and Food Supply food safety review process.”
In 2017, Brazilian fresh beef imports were suspended due to food safety concerns, and USDA allowed these imports to resume in 2020. Daines is concerned with Brazil’s recent failure to quickly disclose two cases of atypical spongiform encephalopathy – a neurological disease of cattle – which could pose a significant threat to the health and safety of Montana cattle herds.
This bipartisan legislation would ensure that Brazilian beef is safe to eat before it is brought back into U.S. markets by imposing a moratorium on Brazilian beef until a group of food safety and trade experts has made a recommendation regarding its import status. The legislation is supported by the U.S. Cattlemen’s Association, the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association, and R-CALF USA.
