USMEF: Colombia fully reopens market to US Beef
In response, USMEF president and CEO Dan Halstrom issued the following statement:
"On behalf of USMEF’s membership, I want to thank the US government, and especially the teams at the USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS), Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS) and Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) involved in the effort to restore full access for US beef shipments to Colombia", he said.
"The USDA staff posted in Bogota, in particular, worked tirelessly to get these restrictions lifted",he added. “We are also grateful to Colombian importers and customers who remained loyal to US beef during this difficult time and who voiced their concerns to the Colombian government about the interruption in trade.
"It is also important to note that effective USDA engagement with other trading partners helped prevent similar trade barriers from affecting additional export markets,” he continued. “While Colombia was the only destination to officially restrict imports of US beef as a result of H5N1 findings in dairy cows, the impact on beef exports was substantial".
"Prior to the restrictions imposed in April, Colombia was a promising market averaging about $3 million per month in US beef purchases. In July - the most recent month for which data is available – exports fell to less than $850,000", Hailstorm concluded. "We look forward to rebuilding US beef’s presence in the Colombian market and meeting the needs of our valued customers".
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