Sen. Jon Tester, D-Mont., and Sen. Mike Rounds, D-Mont., have introduced a resolution to reverse the Biden administration’s recent action to allow beef imports from Paraguay.
Late last year, after diplomatic efforts, the Department of Agriculture (USDA) finalized a rule lifting a long-standing ban on beef imports from Paraguay due to the South American country’s history of beef-raising. disease. Tester, Rounds, and a broad coalition of livestock and agriculture groups have vocally opposed the action because of its potential impact on the U.S. food supply.
“My message to the Biden administration is simple: Cutting corners in restarting beef imports from countries with a recent history of foot-and-mouth disease is bad news for both Montana consumers and producers; We don’t leave it alone,” Tester said. In a statement. “Montana ranchers produce some of the best beef in the world, but it is clear that the USDA does not have data to show that Paraguay meets the same animal health standards.”
“That’s why I’m working with Senator Rounds to reverse this decision by the Biden administration that gives America’s ranchers a bad deal and could have a dangerous impact on our nation’s food supply.” Montana the state Democratic lawmaker added.
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Sen. Jon Tester (D-Mont.) has introduced a bill that would reverse the Biden administration’s recent action to allow beef imports from Paraguay. (Drew Angerer/Getty Images)
The USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service finalized regulations in November that would allow imports of Paraguayan beef, creating a series of requirements that importers must meet to ensure the product being shipped is free of livestock diseases. Issued terms and conditions. The agency then began enforcing the rules a month later, despite criticism from lawmakers and U.S. industry groups.
Paraguay’s livestock industry has a history of foot-and-mouth disease (FMD), which can spread rapidly among livestock and seriously threaten the U.S. economy.
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“Paraguay, on the other hand, has historically struggled to contain foot-and-mouth disease outbreaks,” Lowndes said. “Consumers across the country should be able to confidently feed their families beef that they know meets the rigorous standards required in the United States.”
But the South American country has long lobbied the U.S. government to lift the import ban, saying it would give Americans more consumer choice.
The Biden administration’s measures will lift a long-standing ban on imports of Paraguayan beef. Paraguay’s livestock industry has a history of foot-and-mouth disease, which can spread rapidly among livestock and seriously threaten the U.S. economy. (Getty Images)
According to a reading from a September meeting between the Paraguayan government and the White House. Office of the United States Trade Representative, both sides discussed the process of approving the import of raw beef products. Paraguayan authorities have expressed their desire to resume trade in raw beef products “as soon as possible”.
Last year’s USDA public comment period drew letters from Paraguayan cattle industry groups and government agencies, including the Paraguayan embassy in the United States, stating that “Paraguayan beef will be a huge success in the U.S. market.”
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The comment period drew widespread opposition from the National Cattle and Beef Association (NCBA), its regional chapters, the American Cattlemen’s Association, and the American Farm Federation. These groups also supported the resolution introduced by Tester and Rounds.
Sen. Mike Rounds (R.S.D.) and Sen. Jon Tester (D-Mont.) have introduced legislation that would reverse the Biden administration’s recent action to allow beef imports from Paraguay. (Al Drago/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
“The USDA’s decision to allow Paraguayan beef to be imported into the United States poses an unnecessary risk to the health and safety of the U.S. cattle herd. We adhere to animal health standards, and all of our trading partners must adhere to those standards to demonstrate that we can meet the same standards,” said Kent Bakas, NCBA’s executive director of government affairs. Ta.
“Given Paraguay’s long history of foot-and-mouth disease outbreaks, it is too risky to allow imports from Paraguay without a recent on-site visit to verify Paraguay’s safety claims,” Baucus continued. “America’s cattle producers are grateful for the leadership of Sens. Jon Tester and Mike Rounds in holding the USDA accountable and applying the Congressional Review Act to protect our nation’s cattle herds.”
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Justin Tapper, president of the American Cattlemen’s Association, said in a statement that the last time U.S. government officials toured a meat processing facility in Paraguay was in 2014.
“The nearly 10-year gap since the last site visit does not give us confidence in animal health and food safety in Paraguay,” Tapper said. “Additionally, USDA fully acknowledges in its regulatory impact analysis that there is a real possibility that beef may be imported from animals infected with FMD. It would be devastating for both consumers and consumers, and would cause lasting economic losses of between $33 billion and $93 billion. ”
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The Livestock Marketing Association, National Farmers Union, Montana Farmers Union, Montana Cattlemen’s Association, Montana Farm Bureau Federation, and R-CALF USA also supported Tester and Rounds’ resolution.
Meanwhile, this resolution was introduced under the Congressional Review Act (CRA). The law is a nearly 30-year-old law that allows Congress to overturn federal regulations with a simple majority vote. This is one of the few instances in which Democrats have introduced a CRA resolution against Biden administration rules.
The USDA and the Paraguayan Embassy in the United States did not respond to requests for comment.
