Biden admin faces bipartisan backlash for allowing beef imports from Paraguay: ‘Cutting corners’

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Sens. Jon Tester, D-Mont., and Mike Rounds, R-S.D., launched a decision that will reverse the Biden administration’s latest motion allowing beef imports from Paraguay.

Late final 12 months, the Department of Agriculture (USDA), after diplomatic engagements, finalized a rule to raise a long-standing ban on beef imports from Paraguay, which had been in impact for years because of the South American nation’s historical past of cattle-borne illness. Tester, Rounds and a broad coalition of livestock and agricultural associations have loudly opposed the motion over its potential affect on U.S. meals provides.

“My message to the Biden Administration is simple: cutting corners to resume beef imports from a country with a recent history of foot and mouth disease is bad news for both Montana consumers and producers, and I won’t let it stand,” Tester mentioned in a press release. “Montana ranchers produce the best beef in the world, and it’s clear that the USDA doesn’t have the data to show that Paraguay meets the same animal health standards.”

“That’s why I’m teaming up with Senator Rounds to overturn this decision from the Biden Administration that is giving a raw deal to American ranchers and could have dangerous impacts on our food supply,” the Montana Democrat added.

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Sen. Jon Tester, D-Mont., launched laws that will reverse the Biden administration’s latest motion allowing beef imports from Paraguay. (Drew Angerer/Getty Images)

The USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service finalized laws in November allowing Paraguayan beef imports and issued a collection of situations importers should meet to make sure livestock ailments usually are not current in shipped merchandise. The company then started implementation of the principles one month later, regardless of criticism from lawmakers and U.S. trade teams.

Paraguay’s livestock trade has a historical past of foot-and-mouth illness (FMD), which spreads shortly amongst livestock and will severely threaten the U.S. economic system

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“Paraguay, on the other hand, has historically struggled to contain outbreaks of foot and mouth disease,” Rounds mentioned. “Consumers across America should be able to confidently feed their families beef that they know has met the rigorous standards required in the United States.”

However, the South American nation has for years lobbied the U.S. authorities to reverse the import ban, saying it might improve shopper selection for Americans.

The Biden administration’s actions raise a long-standing ban on Paraguayan beef imports. Paraguay’s livestock trade has a historical past of foot-and-mouth illness, which spreads shortly amongst livestock and will severely threaten the U.S. economic system. (Getty Images)

According to a readout of a September assembly between the Paraguayan authorities and the White House Office of the United States Trade Representative, the 2 sides mentioned the method to authorize the import of uncooked beef merchandise. Paraguayan officers expressed their need to renew uncooked beef product commerce “as soon as possible.”

The USDA’s public remark interval final 12 months attracted letters from Paraguayan cattle trade associations and authorities companies, together with the Embassy of Paraguay to the United States, which acknowledged that “Paraguayan beef will be a big success in the U.S. market.”

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The remark interval attracted widespread opposition from the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA), regional associates of the group, the United States Cattlemen’s Association and the American Farm Bureau Federation. Those teams additionally endorsed the decision launched by Tester and Rounds.

Sens. Mike Rounds, R-S.D., and Jon Tester, D-Mont., launched laws that will reverse the Biden administration’s latest motion allowing beef imports from Paraguay. (Al Drago/Bloomberg by way of Getty Images)

“USDA’s decision to allow Paraguayan beef imports into the U.S. creates an unnecessary risk to the health and safety of the U.S. cattle herd. U.S. cattle producers are held to the highest food safety and animal health standards in the world and any trade partner must be able to demonstrate they can meet those same standards,” mentioned Kent Bacus, NCBA’s govt director of presidency affairs.

“Given Paraguay’s long history of foot-and-mouth disease outbreaks, it is simply too risky to allow Paraguayan imports without recent site visits to confirm Paraguay’s safety claims,” Baucus continued. “U.S. cattle producers are thankful for the leadership of Senators Jon Tester and Mike Rounds for applying the Congressional Review Act to hold USDA accountable and protect our nation’s cattle herd.”

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An image of about 20 cattle grazing in a field in Wyoming

Cattle are photographed roaming in Wyoming on Nov. 11, 2021. (Salwan Georges/The Washington Post by way of Getty Images)

U.S. Cattlemen’s Association President Justin Tupper famous in a press release that the final time U.S. authorities officers inspected a meat processing facility in Paraguay was in 2014.

“That nearly ten-year gap since the last site visit does not inspire confidence in Paraguay’s animal health and food safety protocols,” Tupper mentioned. “Further, in its regulatory impact analysis, USDA fully admits that there is a real possibility we could import beef from an animal infected by FMD. An outbreak of FMD in the United States would be devastating for both producers and consumers, causing lasting financial losses between $33 and $93 billion.”

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The Livestock Marketing Association, National Farmers Union, Montana Farmers Union, Montana Stockgrowers Association, Montana Farm Bureau Federation and R-CALF USA additionally endorsed the decision from Tester and Rounds.

The decision, in the meantime, was launched below the Congressional Review Act (CRA), a legislation courting again practically three a long time that enables Congress to revoke federal laws with a easy majority vote. It represents one of many few instances a Democrat has launched a CRA decision for a Biden administration rule.

USDA and the Embassy of Paraguay to the United States didn’t instantly reply to requests for remark.

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