Argentina announced this week it had lifted its export ban on Brazilian beef, imposed in 2012 due to fears about bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) in the country. The ban was imposed following isolated cases of the disease being discovered in the Brazilian herd.
According to documents signed by officials from the Health and Agrifood Quality Service (Senasa) of Argentina, it was acknowledged that atypical cases of BSE could occur anywhere in the world and did not signify that Brazilian imports posed a greater risk than those from elsewhere.
In addition, the Brazilian agriculture minister Katia Abreu is negotiating to reopen the US, Saudi and Japanese markets for Brazilian beef.
On an official visit with President Dilma Rousseff to the US, the minister intends to discuss with President Barack Obama how to end the embargo on Brazilian beef.
The minister will then travel to Japan at the start of July and is expecting the suspension of the embargo there. "We hope to open the market of meat and processed meat," said Abreu.
Brazil is also locked in negotiations with Saudi Arabia and is expected to conclude its discussions soon. Health protection officials have already conducted inspections of Brazilian beef and poultry plants and farms in Para, Mato Grosso and Pernambuco, and a report on their findings is expected in 45 days.
Earlier this year, China lifted its embargo on Brazilian meat. Its officials this week visited nine new plants in Brazil with the intention of approving them to its list of accredited plants already allowed to ship meat to China.