Senate Passes Resolution to Reverse Admission of Paraguayan Beef

The Senate passed a resolution that could undo the USDA's approval of imported Paraguayan beef, if the House also votes to end these imports by a veto-proof margin.

Sen. Jon Tester, D-Mont., one of the most vulnerable Democratic incumbents on the ballot in November, said when he introduced the resolution last month: "My message to the Biden Administration is simple: cutting corners to resume beef imports from a country with a recent history of foot and mouth disease is bad news for both Montana consumers and producers, and I won’t let it stand" (see 2402270038).

The resolution of disapproval passed March 21, 70-25.

The White House warned that reversing the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service's finding that fresh beef imports from Paraguay are safe would undermine the credibility of U.S. calls for science-based agricultural decisions (see 2403190008). The U.S. frequently argues that other countries' non-tariff barriers to U.S. agricultural exports -- such as one proposed in Mexico for U.S. genetically modified corn -- are protectionism disguised as food safety standards.

Paraguayan beef is subject to a tariff rate quota of 6,500 metric tons, APHIS said (see 2311130024). According to USDA, beef imports from all countries accounted for 10% of U.S. beef supply in 2021. Much of the imports are fat and muscle tissue remaining after processing a carcass, and that meat, because it comes from grass-fed cows, is lower fat than U.S. grain-fed stock. The imported beef is mixed with domestic beef to achieve the right lean-to-fat ratio for ground beef, USDA said.

If the resolution passes the House with less than a two-thirds majority, President Joe Biden can retain the rule by vetoing the resolution -- however, his statement against the resolution didn't contain an explicit veto threat.