Daines, Rounds seek answers regarding U.S. ban lift on Brazilian raw beef imports

U.S. Sens. Mike Rounds (R-SD) and Steve Daines (R-MT) are concerned that the federal government’s lift of a ban on Brazilian raw beef imports could put food safety standards at risk.

“Given that the United States halted Brazilian raw beef imports less than one year after Brazil was granted access in 2016, we have serious concerns about Brazil’s ability to maintain adequate food safety standards over the long run,” wrote Sens. Daines and Rounds in a Feb. 28 letter sent to U.S. Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue.

Among the 13 other members who signed the bipartisan letter were U.S. Sens. Jerry Moran (R-KS), John Hoeven (R-ND), Deb Fischer (R-NE), and Cory Booker (D-NJ).

Specifically, the senators expressed concerns about the Feb. 20 ban lift made by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS), which in 2017 refused entry to approximately two million pounds of beef from Brazil and “subsequently announced the suspension of all imports of fresh beef from Brazil due to public health concerns, poor sanitary conditions, and animal health issues,” they wrote.

“We recognize that the January 2020 FSIS audit found that Brazil’s Central Competent Authority had implemented corrective actions to address the deficiencies identified in the June 2019 FSIS audit,” according to the senators’ letter. “However, considering Brazil’s multiple failed attempts to uphold equivalent food safety standards, we believe a complete verification process of certified Brazilian facilities may be warranted.”

For that reason, the lawmakers requested that Secretary Perdue answer several questions about how FSIS will monitor Brazil’s progress in fully implementing the corrective actions, and how FSIS plans to respond if Brazil fails to implement all necessary corrective actions, among others.