U.S. lifts ban on importing Brazilian beef

DES MOINES, Iowa -- The federal government has decided to once again allow raw beef products to be imported into the United States from Brazil, a move that has angered some cattlemen and food safety groups who are voicing concerns about the quality of the meat.

A spokeswoman for the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Food Safety and Inspection Service said Friday the agency recently conducted on-site audits of Brazil's raw beef production facilities to verify improvement in practices since 2017, when the USDA suspended importation of Brazilian beef over safety concerns.

"FSIS confirmed that Brazil has implemented necessary corrective actions and has determined that Brazil's food safety inspection system governing raw intact beef is equivalent to that of the U.S.," the agency spokeswoman said.

She said the suspension ended Friday. Raw beef from Brazil will be "subject to re-inspection" at U.S. ports of entry, she said.

A spokesman for the National Cattlemen's Beef Association said the group has concerns about quality given Brazil's history of foot-and-mouth disease and its record of repeated food safety violations at ports of entry.

Business on 02/22/2020

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