Brazil-US negotiations on fresh beef concluded

Brazil has concluded negotiations with the US on fresh beef exports to the US market. Brazil's agriculture minister Blairo Maggi said that the product is expected to start being shipped in three months, after administrative protocols are over.

Maggi was in Washington to bring the talks to an end, and said that licensing will be based on pre-listing, i.e., the Agriculture Ministry and the US Department of Agriculture will have the chance to compile a list of establishments, and only the ones that meet the requirements outlined in the agreement will be allowed to take part in the export transactions.

Today, industrialized beef is all Brazilians sell the North American country. Last year, the commodity added up to $286.8 million in sales to the US market. The addition of fresh beef is expected to boost exports by $900 million.

Negotiations

The agreement had been the subject of talks since 1999, but technical procedures for the trade of fresh beef were not concluded until Thursday (Jul. 28), during the Brazil-US Consultative Committee on Agriculture, in Washington.

In the view of Brazilian Confederation Of Agriculture and Livestock (CNA) vice-President José Mário Schreiner, the deal shows how high the quality of  Brazilian beef is. “The US market is really demanding. That shows our beef is up to global standards.”

*Pedro Peduzzi contributed to this article.

Translated by Fabrício