Biden admin based decision to allow beef imports on ‘deeply flawed risk assessment,’ top US cattle group says
The Biden administration was heavily criticized Friday after it moved forward with a plan to allow producers in Paraguay to begin importing fresh beef into America.
On Thursday, the Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) finalized regulations to allow Paraguayan beef imports and issued a series of conditions importers must meet to ensure livestock diseases aren’t present in shipped products. Paraguay’s livestock industry has a history of foot-and-mouth disease (FMD), which spreads quickly among livestock and could severely threaten the U.S. economy.
“USDA based their decision to allow beef imports from Paraguay on a deeply flawed risk assessment that uses old data from site visits that were conducted more than nine years ago,” said Kent Bacus, the executive director of government affairs for the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA), the largest industry group representing U.S. cattle producers.
“Paraguay has a history of FMD outbreaks, and it is unclear if their inspection system can provide an equivalent level of safety for animal health to prevent a possible FMD outbreak on U.S. soil,” he continued. “Paraguay heavily relies on private sector funding for most of its FMD mitigation measures, and USDA did not consider the risk associated with Paraguay’s economic downturn over the last several years.”
Bacus added that, while Paraguay has for years made ensuring its nation’s beef producers have access to the U.S. market a top diplomatic priority, the USDA should prioritize safety above other interests. He also argued that dismissing concerns voiced by American cattle producers is “unacceptable.”
“While winning friends and allies in South America may be part of the long-term interests of U.S. diplomacy, it should not be done on the backs of U.S. cattle producers or by putting at risk the health and livelihood of the safest and most efficient cattle and beef production system in the world,” Bacus said.
