WASHINGTON – As USDA weighs the possibility of importing beef from Brazil, one U.S. cattle group is arguing it never got a chance to state its case.
A proposed rule from USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) related to importing Brazilian beef was closed to public comment on April 22. As comments indicated, the proposal concerned some, due to the possibility of foot-and-mouth disease finding its way into the record tight-American cattle herd.
Now the National Cattleman’s Beef Association argues incompetence by USDA’s Food Safety Inspection Service (FSIS) denied it the chance to submit meaningful comments.
In proposing its rule, APHIS pointed out moving forward would still require FSIS to establish that Brazil’s meat inspection program is equivalent to that of the U-S. To that end, FSIS conducted an onsite audit early last year.
The final audit discovered problems with Brazil?s meat inspection program, and stated that until Brazil has satisfactorily addressed a laundry list of issues, FSIS will not certify any new establishments as eligible to export to the U.S.
FSIS also rated Brazil’s meat inspection equivalence as “adequate,” its lowest possible category.
NCBA President Bob McCan says that in early March of this year, his group formally requested all pertinent documents, a category he says the audit falls into. McCan charges the report, dated April 16, was available before the comment deadline, but FSIS failed to provide it. NCBA did submit preliminary comments without information from the FSIS final audit report.
NCBA Chief Veterinarian Dr. Kathy Simmons says NCBA members are concerned with Brazil?s ability and willingness to meet established compliance requirements, specifically issues related to specified risk material.
To hear more on NCBA’s complaints that FSIS moved too slowly, click here.
