On-the-Ground Update

Colombian beef export to USA is being blocked

Gabriel Mejiagut
Published Jan 18, 2022
As part of the USA-Colombia FTA, the country could export beef for 10 years with a preferential quota without tariffs to the United States. However, Colombia has not been able to ship the product to the US market.

The country has an approximate cattle inventory of 28,000,000 heads, the 11th country of the largest-producing countries. However, approximately 5,500 MT were imported from the USA for USD 27.5 million in 2021. The reason for not being able to export meat to this market is due to the process of sanitary admissibility by the USDA, which is still in process. This requirement has not yet been met because many producers are unaware of the requirements, the importance of good livestock practices, traceability, and others fundamental to achieving admissibility.

The government and the entities involved are working hard to take advantage of this opportunity to export meat to this very interesting market. Unfortunately, this procedure was stopped due to the outbreaks of foot-and-mouth disease in 2017 and 2018. The process was reactivated in February 2020 when the sanitary status as a country free of foot-and-mouth disease was recovered.
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