United States Cattlemen’s Association wants info on Brazil

The United States Cattlemen’s Association (USCA) sent a letter to the USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) on Jan. 18 seeking additional information about the Brazilian beef audit conducted in the early summer of 2017. “Following the release of this audit, the concerns of U.S. cattle producers have been validated as it is obvious that Brazil failed in several categories regarding its trade with the U.S., including: oversight; statutory authority; food safety and additional consumer protection regulations; sanitation; hazard analysis and critical control points; chemical residue testing programs; and microbiological testing programs.” The group said in the letter that it “strongly opposes any reopening of trade with Brazil” on concerns that the problems found in the audit suggest Brazil’s mitigation practices are inadequate “to keep products that can carry foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) out of the U.S.” — WLJ