U.S. SENATE — U.S. Senator Steve Daines today joined a bipartisan effort to help support Montana ranchers by calling on the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to immediately suspend fresh beef imports from Brazil.
“Cattle producers across the country work hard to produce the highest quality beef in the world,” the letter states. “This industry should not be jeopardized by Brazilian beef imports that may contaminate U.S. herds and our food supply. We support the requests to suspend Brazilian fresh beef imports until a thorough investigation can be made into Brazil’s Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock, and Food Supply food safety review process.”
Read the full letter HERE.
In 2017, Brazilian fresh beef imports were suspended due to food safety concerns, and USDA allowed these imports to resume in 2020. Daines is concerned with Brazil’s recent failure to quickly disclose two cases of atypical spongiform encephalopathy – a neurological disease of cattle – which could pose a significant threat to the health and safety of Montana cattle herds.
Background:
On November 17, Daines helped introduce the “Cattle Price Discovery and Transparency Act.” The bill is part of Daines’ efforts to return fairness to the cattle marketplace dominated by four major meat packers.
In August 2021, Daines introduced the “USA Beef Act,” to ensure only beef products from cattle born, raised and slaughtered in the United States can use the “Product of USA” label.
In March 2021, Daines cosponsored two bipartisan bills to increase transparency in the cattle market and cut red tape for Montana’s ag and livestock haulers, the “HAULS Act” and the “Mandatory Negotiated Cash Trade Bill.”
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Contact: Katherine McKeogh, Katie Schoettler