Sen. Jon Tester, D-Mont., listens during a hearing on February 16, 2023. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)
In November, the USDA's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service finalized regulations allowing Paraguayan beef imports and issued a series of conditions that importers must meet to ensure that livestock diseases are not present in shipped products. The agency then began implementation of the rules one month later, despite criticism from lawmakers and U.S. industry groups.
Paraguay's livestock industry, though, has a history of foot-and-mouth disease (FMD), which spreads quickly among livestock and could severely threaten the U.S. economy. As a result, beef imports from the South American nation have been barred in the U.S. for years.
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"South Dakota is known for having high quality beef produced by hard-working farmers and ranchers across the state," said Rounds. "We have very high standards regarding the quality of our beef. Unfortunately, Paraguay does not have the same history of enforcing health and safety standards that we do. Our inspectors haven’t been to Paraguay in ten years."
Cattle are photographed in Wyoming on November 11, 2021. (Salwan Georges/The Washington Post via Getty Images)
The spokesperson said that USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service agents conducted two on-site audits in Paraguay in December 2021 and June 2022. And they said that the nation has demonstrated its capability to comply with U.S. standards and regulations.
The White House issued a statement disapproving the resolution, saying it would "mark a significant setback in the United States-Paraguay bilateral relationship and U.S. credibility as a reliable economic partner across Latin America."
However, the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA), U.S. Cattlemen’s Association, Livestock Marketing Association, R-CALF USA, National Farmers Union, Montana Farmers Union, Montana Stockgrowers Association and Montana Farm Bureau Federation all praised the Senate's passage of the resolution.
"Given Paraguay’s long history of foot-and-mouth disease outbreaks, it is simply too risky to allow Paraguayan imports without recent site visits to confirm Paraguay’s safety claims," said NCBA Executive Director of Government Affairs Kent Baucus. "U.S. cattle producers are thankful for the leadership of Senators Jon Tester and Mike Rounds for applying the Congressional Review Act to hold USDA accountable and protect our nation’s cattle herd."
Thomas Catenacci is a politics writer for Fox News Digital.
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