The rule on Paraguay's fresh beef exports to US held by Congress

The United States Senate last week passed a resolution overturning the US Department of Agriculture rule allowing Paraguayan fresh beef imports. The next step in the process in the House of Representatives where the show of bipartisan consensus is expected to be repeated, reported the US Beef Newsletter. Last November, USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service finalized a rule allowing fresh beef imports from Paraguay. The new rule with certain conditions, if foot-and-mouth disease has not been diagnosed in the exporting region over the past year; beef must also originate from an area where the disease has not been detected over an imported animal’s lifespan and those animals are subject to inspection before and after death. While USDA says its risk analysis determined Paraguay beef can be safely imported, many in the US agriculture industry reacted strongly arguing that the USDA’s analysis was based on flawed data. They also believe Paraguay’s inspection processes are not ...