Brazil to Address U.S. Beef Ban During Visit

Brazil’s minister of agriculture will meet with U.S. Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue Monday in an attempt to resume fresh beef exports to the United States. The U.S. Department of Agriculture halted beef imports from Brazil last month because of recurring concerns about the safety of the products. Brazil is hopeful the U.S. will lift the ban, as the Brazilian government said the suspension was related to non-conformities due to reactions to vaccination against foot-and-mouth disease, which can provoke abscesses in the meat. The Brazilian government has ordered all beef producers to follow certain cut procedures for beef that will help to easily identify potential problems, according to meat industry publication Meatingplace. The U.S. embargo is among a series of challenges Brazilian meat producers are facing this year, after an investigation questioning the quality of sanitary inspections was released in March, prompting dozens of countries to temporary block shipments from the country. Since then, most of those countries have resumed Brazilian meat purchases, but many have reinforced inspections.