Peru Reopens Market to US Beef
In a news release from Lima, Peru, where he is leading a trade mission, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack on Monday announced that Peru has agreed to remove barriers to U.S. beef that have been in place since 2003 when the first case of mad cow disease was found in the United States.
The Agriculture Department noted in a news release that the United States exported $25.4 million in beef and beef products to Peru in 2015 but that certification requirements have hampered additional exports.
“Since 2009, the United States and Peru have enjoyed one of the strongest bilateral trade relationships in the Western Hemisphere, and today it became much stronger,” said Vilsack after meeting with officials from the government of Peru.
“Since 2003, USDA and USTR have worked diligently to reopen and expand markets once closed to U.S. beef,” Vilsack said.
“This is another win in a long line of successes that led to a near-record U.S. beef and beef product exports in 2015. The Obama administration will continue to work hard around the world to remove unfair barriers and create a more level playing for America’s farmers, ranchers, producers and rural communities.” Tom Vilsack, United States agriculture secretary
“This is another win in a long line of successes that led to a near-record U.S. beef and beef product exports in 2015. The Obama administration will continue to work hard around the world to remove unfair barriers and create a more level playing for America’s farmers, ranchers, producers and rural communities.”
“Peru has been a growing market for American beef and this agreement will only further expand opportunities for American producers and exporters,” added U.S. Trade Representative Michael Froman.
“Not many years ago, there was little American beef going to Peru, but through the U.S.-Peru Trade Promotion Agreement, and agreements like this, we are seeing increased demand for high-quality American beef.”
The agreement reflects the United States’ negligible risk classification for mad cow disease — bovine spongiform encephalopathy — by the World Organization for Animal Health, USDA said.
Through an exchange of letters, the two countries have agreed to changes in certification statements that will allow beef and beef products from all federally inspected U.S. establishments to be eligible for export to Peru, rather than only those beef and beef products from establishments that participated in the USDA Agricultural Marketing Service export verification programs under the previous certification requirements, USDA added.
–The Hagstrom Report
