Sen. Jon Tester (D-MT) recently introduced a bill to suspend Brazilian beef imports until the U.S. can conduct a review of the country’s food safety practices.
The legislation follows calls from cattle industry groups to suspend beef imports after expressing concerns with Brazil’s recent handling of atypical BSE cases.
Tester’s bill, S.3230, would establish a working group to evaluate the food safety threat of Brazilian beef and to make recommendations on whether Brazilian beef should be imported into the U.S.
The legislation is supported by the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA), Ranchers-Cattlemen Action Legal Fund United Stockgrowers of America and U.S. Cattlemen’s Association.
“U.S. cattle producers have a longstanding track record of meeting USDA’s rigorous oversight standards in order to promote public health, food safety, animal health and well-being—and any country who wishes to trade with the United States must be held to those same standards,” said Ethan Lane, NCBA vice president of government affairs.
