The beef supplies from Brazil are being rejected by the U.S since March. The Department of Agriculture in U.S. has said in a statement that the ban will exist until satisfactory corrective actions are taken.
Inspections began for all beef supplies from Brazil in March when the country's top meat producers came into light for a tainted meat scandal. According to reports from Bloomberg, 11 percent of the meat supplies from South American countries have been rejected by the United States, due to the use of chemicals to get rid of the smell of rotting meat. And, as an immediate action from USDA's Food Security and Inspection Service, the ban was imposed on Brazilian fresh beef imports.
Notably, the total amount of beef rejected is approximately 1.9 million pounds. About 20 more countries have also fully or partially closed their doors for imported meat from Brazil. China will, however, not follow in the footsteps of the U.S as they import only frozen Brazilian beef, the requirements for which are different in comparison to fresh beef import.
U.S. Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue has said that international trade is an important part of USDA and Brazil has been their partner for a long time. However, in any case, the first priority is protecting the American consumers. And that's what they are doing by halting the import of Brazilian fresh beef.
Taking action on Wednesday, Brazil suspended five of its meatpacking plants including Marfrig Global Foods SA and Minerva SA from exporting beef to the U.S. According to Brazil's exporter group Abiec the U.S bought only 2 percent of the country's shipment through May, which has made it a minor importer of Brazilian beef. JBS SA, the top beef producer declined to comment on the issue while Marfrig Global Foods, Brazil's second big meat company said that all the necessary steps have been taken to meet the requirements of the U.S. in order to resume fresh beef exports to U.S.
