Dear Secretary Schafer and Director Nussle:
We are writing to express our concern regarding USDA’s proposed rule to declare the southern Patagonia region of Argentina free of Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD) and Rinderpest, and to allow meat imports from this region. FMD is highly contagious, and an outbreak of this disease in the United States would be economically devastating for U.S. cattle and sheep producers. Any decision to allow regional access to U.S. markets in countries with a history of FMD must be carefully scrutinized.
We urge you not to issue the final rule for southern Patagonia until the rule has been reviewed by OMB. While OMB may view this particular rule as non-significant, it serves as a precedent for future rules that would regionalize FMD status, and deserves thorough examination. Further, we request that the USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) provide a clear list of criteria and measures that all countries must meet in order for APHIS to determine that a particular region can be deemed free of FMD.
Beef producers in our states and throughout the country are struggling, due in no small part to the continuing bans on U.S. beef products in Korea, Japan and other countries. USDA’s top priority should be opening these markets to U.S. exports and alleviating the market pressures on U.S. farmers and ranchers.
I look forward to your reply, and to working with you to restore market access for safe, high quality U.S. beef.
Sincerely,
Sen. Max Baucus, (D-MT) Sen. Jeff Bingaman, (D-NM)
Sen. Ben Nelson, (D-NE) Sen. Ken Salazar, (D-CO)
cc: Ambassador Susan Schwab, United States Trade Representative Cindy Smith, Administrator, USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service
Source: Ranking Member’s News
