The U.S. Meat Export Federation recently joined USDA staff in meetings with Colombian officials designed to build a better understanding of the industry both in the U.S. and Colombia.
The seminar was born out of a string of challenges that have popped up for exporters sending U.S. red meat to Colombia, including the country’s decision to ban imports of beef from states where highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) has been detected in dairy cows.
Beef exports to Colombia posted a strong first quarter but have struggled since HPAI-related restrictions were imposed in April. First-half beef exports fell 22% year-over-year to 2,224 metric tons, valued at $13.4 million (down 13%).
USMEF Director of Export Services Courtney Heller says U.S. officials gave a farm-to-fork view of the U.S. livestock industry, explaining the extensive safeguards that are in place to ensure food safety in the U.S. – including mandatory Hazard Analysis & Critical Control Point (HACCP) requirements.
“This program evolved into something that would also cover addressing that trade barrier, in addition to just the overall relationship-building efforts that we had in mind,” Heller says.
Meet participants included regulatory officials, port inspectors, and others involved in the import process.
“The difference between Colombia and the U.S. is that Colombia has very few federally inspected
plants, and in our country almost every, and especially every large plant, is federally inspected,” Heller explains. “Another key difference between our industries is HACCP is not mandatory in many countries, including Colombia, but in the U.S., if you’re federally inspected, every facility is mandatorily using HACCP as part of their day-to-day operations.”
Both sides have expressed interest in continuing the seminar on an annual basis.
