Brazil to sell fresh beef to US market

The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) has decided to open the US market for Brazilian beef, the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Food Supply (MAPA) announced Monday (June 29). Currently, Brazil can only sell processed beef to the country.

The decision was published on the USDA website. An official statement on the health of Brazil's livestock is expected this Tuesday (30), after 15 years of negotiations.

A total 14 states were approved as potential suppliers – Bahia, Federal District, Espírito Santo, Goiás, Mato Grosso, Mato Grosso do Sul, Minas Gerais, Paraná, Rio Grande do Sul, Rio de Janeiro, Rondônia, São Paulo, Sergipe, and Tocantins. According to MAPA, these states are free of food-and-mouth disease and have met the vaccination requirements.

MAPA reported that the decision benefits 95% of Brazil's agribusiness exporters. The ministry estimates that Brazil could be exporting a yearly 100,000 tons of beef to the US within five years.

In a statement, Agriculture Minister Kátia Abreu, who ed President Dilma Rousseff in her visit to the United States, said the USDA decision should open up new markets for Brazil because it is seen as an international safety recognition of Brazil's product. The USDA resolution will become effective in 60 days.

Translated by Mayra Borges