WASHINGTON – Members of the House of Representatives recently sent a letter to Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack stating their opposition to meat imports from Paraguay.

The group was led by Tracey Mann (R-Kan.) and Jim Costa (D-Calif.) and 19 other representatives who expressed concerns about possible foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) in Paraguay, a highly contagious viral disease. 

The letter stated that the USDA’s new rule used site visits from 2008 and 2014, and 2022 data provided by Paraguay to make the decision.

“USDA relied on outdated site visits, irrelevant inspections, and inadequate data to overcome these prohibitions,” the members wrote. “Paraguay knows what we all know — the US is the largest, most reliable consumer of beef in the world. We have that reputation because of the tireless work of beef producers to provide the safest and most efficient beef production system in the world.”

During November, the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) published the final rule allowing Paraguayan beef importation. The initial rule to allow Paraguay to import beef into the United States started in March 2023. 

The National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) also recently explained why it opposed this US import.

“The United States has the highest food safety and animal health standards in the world, and any country who wishes to trade with the United States must demonstrate that they can meet those standards,” said Ethan Lane, vice president of government affairs of the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association. “Paraguay’s long history of foot-and-mouth disease outbreaks, and the lack of recent site visits, makes importing beef from Paraguay too risky. All our trade partners need to have inspection systems that can clearly provide an equivalent level of safety for animal health to prevent a possible foot-and-mouth disease outbreak in the United States.” 

According to the Federal Register, the final rule will go into place starting on Dec. 14, 2023.