Both Beef Exports and Imports for and From Brazil To Begin

USDA announced yesterday that Brazil has been reopened for U.S. beef exports — this will be a resumption of exporting U.S. beef to the Brazilian market for the first time since 2003. USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack says the Brazilian market offers excellent long-term potential for U.S. beef exporters.

The Brazilian agreement is just the latest example of USDA's ongoing efforts to knock down barriers to U.S. exports. In 2016 alone, these efforts have led to the reopening of the Saudi Arabian and Peruvian markets for U.S. beef, the South Korean market for U.S. poultry, and the South African market for U.S. poultry, pork and beef.

The past seven years have represented the strongest period in history for American agricultural exports, with international sales of U.S. farm and food products totaling $911.4 billion between fiscal years 2009 and 2015.

In a separate decision, USDA's Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) also recently determined that Brazil's food safety system governing meat products remains equivalent to that of the United States and that fresh (chilled or frozen) beef can be safely imported from Brazil.