Beef bans lifted in China, U.S.

Government officials in China will allow U.S. beef and beef products into the country, lifting a more than 30-year-old ban on the items.

The decision comes as the country agreed to purchase more agricultural products from the United States under the new trade deal. Details have yet to be released on inspection and quarantine requirements, which China’s customs officials said will be announced separately.

China recently said it will grant exemptions on retaliatory duties imposed against almost 700 U.S. goods, including important agriculture products like soybeans, beef and pork, Reuters reported.

In other trade news, the U.S. Department of Agriculture agreed to lift a ban on beef from Brazil. That ban has been in place since the middle of 2017.

According to a department spokesperson, USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service recently conducted a targeted, onsite equivalence verification audit of Brazil’s raw intact beef products to ensure officials in the country had taken appropriate safety measures.

“FSIS confirmed that Brazil has implemented necessary corrective actions and has determined that Brazil’s food safety inspection system governing raw intact beef is equivalent to that of the U.S.,” the agency said. “Therefore, FSIS is lifting the suspension to export raw beef products to the U.S., effective February 21, 2020.”

Still, the decision left some industry members skeptical: A representative from the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association expressed concern, noting Brazil was previously supposed to gain access to the U.S. market but forfeited that access due to food safety violations. Feedstuffs has the full story.

Tensions are mounting as the United Kingdom and the European Union begin their trade talks. Reuters reported that U.K. officials said they’re ready to walk away from talks if “good progress” isn’t made on a deal by June.

Meanwhile, the North American Meat Institute announced it’s signed a memorandum of understanding with the British Meat Processors Association as the organizations prepare for trade negotiations between the two countries.