On September 7, National Cattlemen’s Beef Association Chief Executive Officer Colin Woodall issued the following statement regarding the two atypical cases of bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) detected in Brazil:
“Over the weekend, the Brazilian Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock, and Food Supply confirmed two atypical cases of BSE. Atypical cases are very rare and are believed to occur spontaneously. These cases occurred outside the United States and do not pose a risk to American consumers—U.S. beef is safe.
“Given Brazil’s history of failing to report BSE cases in a timely manner, we must remain vigilant in enforcing our safeguards and holding them accountable. The U.S. has the highest animal health and food safety standards in the world. We must make sure that all countries wishing to export beef to the U.S. continue to meet our standards—even a country with a small footprint like Brazil. We have full faith and confidence in the abilities of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) to enforce our safety standards and trade rules to protect America’s cattle producers and consumers.
“NCBA encourages USDA to examine Brazil and to continue implementing science-based safeguards that ensure all imported beef meets the same rigorous science-based food safety and animal health standards as American beef.”