Brazilian Cases of BSE Halt Beef Exports To China

Brazilian cattle
Brazilian cattle
(Rachel Kramer, National Wildlife Federation)

Brazil has suspended beef exports to China after confirming two cases of “atypical” bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) in two separate domestic meat plants, the agriculture ministry said on Saturday.

Brazil is the world’s largest beef exporter and China is its top customer, buying more than half the country’s exports. The suspension, which is part of an animal health pact agreed between China and Brazil and is designed to allow Beijing time to take stock of the problem, begins immediately, the ministry said in a statement. China will decide when to begin importing again, it added.

The cases were identified in meat plants in the states of Mato Grosso and Minas Gerais, the ministry said. It said they were the fourth and fifth cases of "atypical" BSE that have been detected in Brazil in 23 years.

“Atypical" BSE develops spontaneously and is not related to eating contaminated foods. Brazil has never had a case of "classic" BSE, according to the agriculture ministry.

The two cases were confirmed on Friday after samples were sent to the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE) lab in Alberta, Canada. The OIE had subsequently been informed of the two cases, in compliance with international norms. The ministry said there was no risk to animal or human health.

Tags

Beef - General Cattle Brazil
 

Latest News

Education
K-State Meat Animal Evaluation Team Claims National Championship
K-State Meat Animal Evaluation Team Claims National Championship

Kansas State University dominates the national Meat Animal Evaluation contest for the fourth year in a row.

Angie Denton
Beef Production
Quantifying the Value of Good Management
Quantifying the Value of Good Management

Historically low current US cowherd inventories and limited evidence of heifer retention indicates the robust markets we currently enjoy should be sustained for at least the next couple of years.

Mark Z. Johnson
Industry
Properly Prepared Beef Remains Safe; Meat Institute Calls For Guidance to Protect Workers at Beef Facilities
Properly Prepared Beef Remains Safe; Meat Institute Calls For Guidance to Protect Workers at Beef Facilities

The Meat Institute said properly prepared beef remains safe to eat and called for USDA and the CDC to provide worker safety guidance specific to beef processors to ensure workers are protected from infection.

North American Meat Institute
Industry
A Message to the Ag Industry about H5N1
A Message to the Ag Industry about H5N1

The livestock industry needs a comprehensive, cohesive plan to address the virus. Producers, their employees and veterinarians need clear answers and support from U.S. agricultural leadership, moving forward.

Rhonda Brooks
Industry
USDA Now Requiring Mandatory Testing and Reporting of HPAI in Dairy Cattle as New Data Suggests Virus Outbreak is More Widespread
USDA Now Requiring Mandatory Testing and Reporting of HPAI in Dairy Cattle as New Data Suggests Virus Outbreak is More Widespread

USDA is now ordering all dairy cattle must be tested prior to interstate travel as a way to help stop the spread of HPAI H5N1. This comes a day after FDA confirmed virus genetic material was found in retail milk samples.

Tyne Morgan
Industry
Lessons Learned After Disaster
Lessons Learned After Disaster

Recently we were reminded of the devasting impacts of Mother Nature during the wildfires that destroyed parts of Oklahoma and Texas. There is a lot to learn from such events so we can be better prepared in the future.

Rosslyn Biggs DVM
View More