RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – According to The Rio Times, a Brazilian meatpacker has just received approval to export fresh beef from plants in Sao Paulo state.
The news comes less than 90 days after some lawmakers and industry representatives had called on U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack to halts imports of Brazilian beef after the country was late in reporting two atypical cases of BSE (bovine spongiform encephalopathy) late in 2021.
Vilsack told reporters that it would not be appropriate to halt imports because there was no scientific reason or basis to do so, which would simply expose the U.S. beef industry to non-scientific decisions by other trading partners.
Minerva Foods already exports other products to the North American market but now has seven units in Brazil authorized by USDA.
Back in 2017, the U.S. and other countries halted imports of fresh beef from Brazil after a high percentage of shipments failed to pass inspection based on abscesses in the meat and signs of systemic failure of inspections by another meatpacker, JBS SA. Since then, Minerva has become South America’s largest beef exporter.
(SOURCE: All Ag News)
