PORT
ENG
News
16/04/2010
APHIS Proposes to Add Brazilian State to List of Regions Recognized as Free of Certain Animal Diseases
As reported in a previous issue of World TradeINTERACTIVE™, Brazil agreed earlier this month to postpone the implementation of retaliatory sanctions against the U.S. after the two sides reached an agreement on interim steps the U.S. will take in response to WTO rulings against its cotton subsidy programs. The U.S. agreed to make several concessions in exchange for this commitment, including publishing by April 16 a proposed rule to recognize the Brazilian state of Santa Catarina as free of foot-and-mouth disease, rinderpest, classical swine fever, African swine fever and swine vesicular disease.
As expected, the Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service will publish that proposed rule on April 16 and will accept comments from interested parties by June 15. APHIS notes that the proposed action would relieve certain restrictions on the importation into the U.S. of live swine, swine semen, pork meat, pork products, live ruminants, ruminant semen, ruminant meat and ruminant products from Santa Catarina while continuing to protect against the introduction of these diseases into the U.S.
