United States Reopen Market for Brazilian Meat, Suspended Since 2017

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – Agriculture Minister Tereza Cristina announced on Twitter this Friday, February 21st, that the United States has released the importation of fresh Brazilian meat. The product had been banned from the country since 2017, in the wake of the muddled Operation Weak Flesh (“Carne Fraca”), which, with excessive fuss, caused a negative impact on national exports.

“Another good result for our economy. Recognizing the quality of the Brazilian product,” wrote the minister on social media. The clearance is the result of a number of negotiations for the ratification of the quality of the Brazilian product. American authorities conducted inspections at local slaughterhouses to confirm that the product would not be harmful to American consumers.

The Ministry’s secretaries argued that the clearance was a matter of time and that the delay was primarily due to pressure and lobbying from American producers. Members of the portfolio believed that knowing that Brazilian meat met technical standards, US farmers feared losing a significant share of the market.

Since the beginning of her administration, the minister – a 65-year-old agricultural engineer, born in Campo Grande (MS) and re-elected Federal Deputy in 2018 by the DEM party – has accumulated millions of miles chasing investments and new buyers. She has crossed the planet devoting her time to allies but also to governments reluctant to embrace Bolsonaro, such as France. For her performance, Tereza won the reputation of “pragmatic chancellor”. Well rated in the Chamber and Senate, she wisely dismisses the nickname so as not to arouse jealousy in the Itamaraty leader, disliked by Congress.

Members of the Ministry of Agriculture say that US authorities had already expressed confidence in the Brazilian product, but feared a terrible repercussion of its release. They believe that, in addition to the significant market, the release would represent an international seal of approval that Brazilian meat meets the required specifications – which was fundamental for Brazil to reach other markets and sign new trade agreements.

“We were very pleased to hear the long-awaited news: the reopening of the fresh meat market from Brazil to the United States,” says the minister in the released video. “This shows the qualification and quality of Brazilian meat, recognized by an important market like the American market,” she adds.

In the tour to expand Brazilian exports, the minister pledged to conduct informative campaigns on the processes of agricultural production in European Union countries, in the negotiations to sign the free trade agreement between Mercosur and the European Union. In addition to this more institutional aspect, Minister Tereza Cristina knew that one of the main obstacles to the agreement came from the EU technocrats in charge of the safety of agricultural products, and also from the reaction of South American producers to their demands.

She scheduled meetings with its main representatives and was blunt: she called for an end to the inspection of national meat containers, which made the product and Brazilian animal protein less attractive to European consumers; and she called for the extinction of the Precautionary Principle, which placed barriers on the purchase of goods allegedly not in line with the European bloc’s recommendations. Later, the agreement was shaken by Bolsonaro, his chancellor, Ernesto Araújo, and the Minister of the Environment, Ricardo Salles’ ill-fated words.

Operation Weak Meat

Started in July 2017, Operation Weak Flesh dismantled a kickback inspection scheme in Brazilian slaughterhouses. The accusations were obviously very serious – and culminated in the arrest of top executives, such as former BRF president Pedro de Andrade Faria – but the disclosure that the country was not complying with sanitary recommendations later proved to be mere sensationalism.

At the time, the fuss over specific incidents proved to be unfounded, as VEJA pointed out in that week’s cover story. It was no use: the United States suspended the import of Brazilian meat because, theoretically, there were more abscesses in the cuts than permitted. In reaction, the Ministry of Agriculture reported that the abscesses were caused by the reaction to the vaccine against hoof-and-mouth disease.

The then Minister of Agriculture, Blairo Maggi, travelled to the United States to reverse the decision and prove that Brazil met the requirements for the United States to embrace Brazilian meat, but was not successful. The pragmatic chancellor has now succeeded.

Source: Veja