The Montana Farmers Union (MFU) submitted comments to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) on its proposed rule that would allow the importation of beef from several states in Brazil with a recent history of foot and mouth disease (FMD).
MFU opposed the proposal to resume importation of fresh beef from the 14 Brazilian states because of concerns regarding a history of unresolved FMD, which could pose a threat to U.S. livestock herds and consequently to family farmers and ranchers across Montana.
MFU President Alan Merrill stated in the testimony that MFU policy specifically calls for foreign meats or other food stuffs entering the United States be subject to the same standards which apply to United States meats and other food stuffs.
“It is also important to note that the U.S. has not had a confirmed case of FMD since 1929,” said Merrill. MFU supports the disease prevention system that has been in place for livestock for decades, and strongly believes that it must not be put at risk: to do so is both unnecessary and could jeopardize Montana’s and our country’s beef markets.
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