Articles Tagged with ''usda''

A recently released USDA audit of Brazil's ability to produce safe beef calls into question the country's "equivalency" status that allows it access to the U.S. market, according to government, industry and food safety advocates. At a minimum the audit shows that Brazil still has some serious regulatory hurdles to clear before the country can resume shipping its renowned grass-fed beef cuts to the U.S.

There’s still confusion surrounding whether or not the Department of Agriculture is working to put together a contingency plan to help out farmers if the U.S. pulls out of the North American Free Trade Agreement, but experts say such a plan really wouldn’t help much in a worst-case scenario.

USDA’s regulatory reform officer told Capitol Hill lawmakers Tuesday that the department has identified about 140 regulations as “possible options” for revision or repeal. Although she did not identify them, she said a “significant number” will be published in the fall Unified Regulatory Agenda that should appear any day now, if history is any guide.

A powerful group of Republican and Democratic House and Senate members is launching a new attack on the USDA program that regulates sugar production and protects farmers from price fluctuations.