Argentina and the US have been working on a mutual trade deal for fresh beef, and it could very well be finalized this week.
If enacted, this deal would simultaneously open both countries to sending and receiving beef and beef products. According to Argentina’s international trade secretary, Marisa Bircher, this would be the first open trading of meat between the two countries in almost twenty years. This deal would benefit both countries, opening up a new sector for the US’s cattle market and showing the world that Argentina’s beef is fresh and safe enough to make it through the US’s elaborate sanitary protocols.
Argentina stopped sending beef to the US about 17 years ago due to fears of foot-and-mouth disease in cattle. That problem has been remedied by a vaccine program, and after some rigorous testing last week, the FDA deemed Argentine beef perfectly safe for consumption. Still, as a precaution, Argentina will be imposed with a 20,000 tonne limit on beef exported to the US, though the US will not have any restrictions on its beef exports to Argentina.
According to Bircher, all technical and administrative quandaries regarding the deal have already been settled, and now it’s merely a matter of passing paperwork. Barring any unforeseen complications, Argentine beef will be clear to enter the country by the end of the month.
