The US Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) has decided to allow fresh beef from Paraguay into the United States. This decision comes with strict rules.
APHIS looked into the risks of bringing in beef from Paraguay. They say it’s safe if certain conditions are met. Before, the US didn’t allow Paraguayan beef because of diseases like foot-and-mouth disease (FMD).
Under the new rules, the area in Paraguay where the beef comes from must not have had FMD for the last 12 months. The beef must also come from places where the animals never had FMD. Plus, the animals need to be checked before and after they are killed.
This rule will be in the Federal Register around November 13 and starts 30 days after that.
The decision was first thought about in March. This was after APHIS saw that Paraguay could handle diseases like FMD well.
