NCBA Calls for Ban on Brazilian Beef Imports and War Expected to Expand Wheat Production
From the Ag Information Network, I’m Bob Larson with your Agribusiness Update.**Following a USDA report highlighting an increase in Brazilian beef imports, the National Cattlemen's Beef Association renewed its call to immediately suspend fresh beef imports from Brazil.
NCBA has repeatedly called for a thorough audit of Brazil's animal health and food safety system, to ensure the safety of U.S. cattle.
In the first three months of this year, Brazil has already shipped more than 50,000 metric tons of fresh beef to the U.S.
**The war in Ukraine is expected to expand wheat production in Argentina and Brazil.
Agriculture and consumer economics experts from the University of Illinois say both nations are likely to increase wheat planting this season, which begins in May.
The high price of wheat after a significant shock to agricultural commodity markets caused by the Russian invasion of Ukraine is an incentive for increased planting of wheat in both countries, as well in the U.S.
**USDA Ag Research Service scientists are studying an underlying pattern of seasonal E. coli outbreaks linked to bagged romaine lettuce.
Although rare, between 1998 and 2019, 36 outbreaks that traced back to lettuce were recorded by the CDC.
One of the most significant findings of the study is that E. coli survived on average 5.6 times better in cold-stored packaged romaine harvested in the fall than on the same varieties harvested in late spring.