BRASÍLIA: The first fresh beef shipment from Brazil to the USA following the end of a 17-year negotiation process was delivered via Porto Itapoá. The shipment followed the announcement in August that the US Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service determined that fresh Brazilian beef, either chilled or frozen, could be safely imported as the country’s food safety system for meat was up to US standards.
The beef shipment was loaded on Hamburg Süd’s ship Monte Aconcágua, with approximately 3,000 tons of beef expected to be delivered to the USA on a monthly basis via the port following the deal. While before the agreement only beef from Brazil’s southern state of Santa Catarina could be exported to the USA because of its sanitary track record, raw beef from all parts of the country will now be exported, Reuters reported earlier this year.
Brazil is set to start by exporting around 60,000 tons of fresh beef in 2016. The new agreement is expected to boost exports from Brazil, which is the world’s largest beef exporter, to the United States by approximately US$900m. Prior to the agreement, cooked beef from Brazil was already being exported and would be contained in products including corned beef in the USA.
