CENTENNIAL, Colo. – The National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) recently repeated its call to USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack to immediately suspend all fresh beef imports from Brazil to the United States.

“We are, once again, calling on Secretary Vilsack to suspend fresh beef imports from Brazil because of that country’s long history of failing to report atypical bovine spongiform encephalopathy (a neurological disease in cattle) cases in a timely manner,” said Ethan Lane, NCBA vice president of government affairs.

“It’s incredibly disappointing to have our science-based recommendations met with no notable response by the U.S. Department of Agriculture,” he added.

According to reports published by the World Organization for Animal Health last year, Brazil took more than eight weeks to report two confirmed cases of atypical bovine spongiform encephalopathy.

The World Organization for Animal Health requires countries to report within 24 hours for any animal disease event that could be of international concern for public health emergencies.

In a Nov. 12, 2021, letter to Vilsack, the NCBA initially asked for a suspension until the agency conducted a thorough risk assessment and review of the processes Brazil’s Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock, and Food Supply uses to detect disease and other threats to consumers.

In addition, the NCBA has repeatedly called for a thorough audit of Brazil’s animal health and food safety system to ensure the safety of the U.S. cattle herd, and also urged the USDA to review Brazil’s veterinary diagnostic laboratory system.

“The National Cattlemen’s Beef Association has long expressed concerns about Brazil’s history of failing to report atypical bovine spongiform encephalopathy cases in a timely manner, a pattern that stretches back as far as 2012,” Lane said.

“Their poor track record and lack of transparency raises serious doubts about Brazil’s ability to produce cattle and beef at an equivalent level of safety as American producers,” he added. “If they cannot meet that bar, their product has no place here.”

In 2021, Brazilian exports to the United States increased by 131 percent, according to the NCBA. In the first three months of 2022, Brazil has already shipped more than 50,000 metric tons of fresh beef to the United States.

As a result, this unprecedented surge of imports triggered a temporary tariff safeguard of 26.4 percent that will apply to Brazilian beef imports for the rest of 2022.

According to a recent USDA Economic Research Service (ERS) report, imports of beef from Brazil have spiked in the last two years as U.S. demand for processing-grade beef has substantially increased.

In January 2022 alone, imports reached nearly 100 million pounds – a more than 500 percent increase relative to the same month a year earlier – with fresh beef accounting for 83 million pounds.

Historically, imports from Brazil primarily consisted of heat-treated beef products, including prepared or preserved beef. In February 2020, the USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service determined fresh beef from Brazil was eligible for import.

As a result, beef imports from Brazil have risen, the ERS said. Record high U.S. beef prices and drought-impacted supplies in Australia, where the United States would otherwise source beef, have also contributed to growing imports of processing-grade beef from Brazil.

Moreover, in September 2021, China, the destination for more than 40 percent of Brazilian beef exports in 2021, temporarily embargoed imports of Brazilian beef based on animal health concerns, the ERS added.

Last December, the embargo was lifted, but not before some of Brazil’s beef was redirected to other markets, including the United States.

The NCBA said restricting Brazilian imports altogether is essential until Brazil proves it is “a trustworthy and reliable trade partner, capable of adhering to our standards. As beef imports from Brazil continue to rise, we urge the USDA to reconsider their stance on Brazilian beef, and take necessary action to safeguard the integrity of the entire U.S. food supply chain.”