991104 Virus-Free Brazil Beef Headed For US in 2000November 3, 1999Salvador, Brazil - Brazil hopes to start exporting beef to the United States next year after two key cattle states are declared free of foot-and-mouth disease without vaccination, Agriculture Minister Marcus Vinicius Pratini de Moraes said. "We hope to have Rio Grande do Sul and Santa Catarina declared free of foot- and-mouth next year, without vaccination, and we hope to have the center-west area declared free of foot-and-mouth, with vaccination," Pratini de Moraes told reporters, referring to the states of Parana, Sao Paulo, Mato Grosso, Goias and the west of Minas Gerais. "From that moment we will be ready to start exporting to the United States. We hope to have a quota (for exports) to the north American market as soon as possible," he said, speaking on the eve of a meeting of agriculture ministers from 34 western hemisphere nations. Brazil has been excluded from many markets for fresh and frozen beef because it has yet to fully eradicate foot-and-mouth disease, a viral sickness that causes cattle to stop eating and often to die. A U.S. inspection team is expected to issue a final assessment on southern Brazil's foot-and-mouth control efforts sometime next month. This will be folllowed by draft rules early next year for Brazilian beef imports from those two states, and a public comment period. Brazil has the largest commercial cattle herd in the world -- 170 million head against famed grass-fed producer Argentina's 50 million. Brazilian beef exports, growing rapidly after the country's January currency devaluation made export profits juicier for ranchers, are expected to reap $800 million in 1999. Last year, Brazilian beef exports totalled 377,000 tonnes and brought in $590 million. It it shooting for $1.1 billion in beef export revenues in 2000 and hopes as much as 300,000 tonnes of beef will be exported to the U.S. in the first full year of exports. The U.S., in turn, hopes to export two varieties of wheat to Brazil, which bars imports of U.S. soft red winter wheat and soft red spring wheat based on phytosanitary standards.
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