DES MOINES, Iowa — The U.S. Department of Agriculture has recently reached agreements allowing U.S. beef and pork producers greater access to consumers in Mexico and Peru. The two agreements will allow U.S. producers to export slaughter cattle to Mexico and expand access to consumer markets in Peru for U.S. fresh and chilled pork.
Ag Secretary Tom Vilsack made the announcements during a meeting with producers in Des Moines.
“Our priority at USDA is not only to open or reopen markets for our producers, but to help drive U.S. economic growth through trade by supporting and creating American jobs on and off the farm,” Vilsack said. “Mexico is an important market for U.S. cattle producers, with the potential to import $15 million of live U.S. cattle per year and we expect Peru’s market could generate $5 million annually in additional pork sales.”
The United States and Mexico reached an agreement that takes effect immediately and will allow U.S. producers to export slaughter cattle to Mexico for the first time in more than a decade.
The USDA has been working with Mexico since 2008 to reopen this market and the final agreement was reached between USDA Under Secretary Ed Avalos and Enrique Sanchez-Cruz with SAGARPA during meetings this week in Washington, D.C.
Exporters and producers can find the required documents on the APHIS website or through their local Veterinary Services office.
In Peru
Similarly, USDA has conducted extensive negotiations with Peru’s Servicio National De Sanidad Agraria (SENASA) since 2012 to expand access for U.S. fresh, chilled pork and pork products.
USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service export library will be updated to the new export requirements for these pork and pork products exports.
USDA continues its push to eliminate all remaining trade barriers to U.S. cattle and cattle products stemming from past detections of bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE).
The Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service continues to work with its trading partners to ensure any unnecessary requirements for U.S. origin beef are eliminated.
The World Organization for Animal Health (OIE) considers the United States’ to have negligible risk for BSE. This is OIE’s lowest risk category for this disease.
