Consul General Ricardo Zuniga displays US beef ready for Brazilian customers representing more than a decade of work to reopen the country for US producers.

WASHINGTON – Secretary Sonny Perdue announces the first shipments of fresh US beef in 13 years have arrived in Brazil, creating promising long-term opportunities for American producers in the Brazilian market.

“With Brazil’s large market reopened to the United States, US beef exports are poised for new growth. I look forward to Brazilians getting the opportunity to eat delicious American beef, because once they taste it, they’ll want more of it,” Secretary Perdue said in a statement.

São Paulo, Brazil-based JBS SA received its first lot containing 12 tons of US beef. The company opened the container a distribution center in São Paulo. Initially, JBS Brazil expects to supply around 150 tons of beef each month.

The company is importing special barbecue cuts for direct sale to foodservice companies in Brazil. The Prime and Choice cuts include rump cap [or Coulotte], skirt, sirloin, rib-eye, heart of rump and spare ribs. The cuts are to be sold under the Chef’s Exclusive brand.

Zuniga poses with the boxes of US beef as they clear customs in Brazil, ready to hit the market.

“This initiative will supplement our high-quality beef portfolio in Brazil,” said Bassem Sami Akl Akl, technical director at JBS Beef. “Unlike US consumers, the barbecue cuts we are bringing, such as rump cap, are already part of the Brazilian menu and naturally have a guaranteed position on the market, with significant growth potential.” He added that the company also intends to supply US beef to retailers.

In 2003, Brazil closed its market to fresh US beef with concerns over bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE). The US Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS) and Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) have worked continuously with Brazilian officials to regain market access for the last 13 years.

Also, FSIS has provided information and documentation on the United States’ food safety requirements and standards for beef. Brazil officially reopened the market on August 1, 2016, after numerous technical discussions and meetings, and based on the United States’ classification by the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE) as a negligible risk country for BSE.