Kent Bacus, Executive Director of Government Affairs of National Cattlemen's Beef Association said: “Paraguay’s history of foot-and-mouth disease is not something we take lightly and importing beef from Paraguay is just too risky. The United States has some of the highest food safety and animal health standards in the world, and any country that wishes to trade with the United States must demonstrate that they can meet our standards. We need USDA to verify Paraguay’s paper claims of safety with current, on-the-ground site visits that confirm Paraguay can provide an equivalent level of safety for animal health. Cattle producers thank Representatives Ronny Jackson and Yadira Caraveo for introducing this Congressional Review Act to hold USDA accountable and protect cattle from foreign animal disease.” 

Bill Bullard, CEO of R-CALF USA said: "Maintaining the health and safety of our U.S. cattle herd and ensuring the safety of our food supply in the face of imports should be a top priority for the U.S. Department of Agriculture. However, by approving fresh beef imports from Paraguay – a country not free of the highly contagious foot-and-mouth disease – without having conducted an on-site evaluation of Paraguay’s animal health and food safety infrastructure for nearly a decade, the USDA has potentially elevated the risk of introducing a foreign animal disease into the United States. We are grateful that Congressman Ronny Jackson and Congresswoman Caraveo Yadira have intervened to prevent such a possible catastrophe and we urge all of Congress to support their bill."

Justin Tupper, President of U.S. Cattlemen’s Association said: “U.S. cattle producers continue to improve on their genetics, resource use, and the health and well-being of their animals to raise the highest quality beef in the world. The same cannot be said for beef imported from countries like Brazil and Paraguay. These countries illegally tear down rainforests, use forced human labor, and bribe government inspectors as standard practices in their supply chain. USCA greatly appreciates Rep. Jackson’s leadership in calling for an immediate halt to the importation of beef from Paraguay.”

Mark Barnett, President of Livestock Marketing Association said: "LMA greatly appreciates Representatives Jackson and Caraveo standing up for the health of the U.S. cattle industry. The irresponsible decision to allow fresh Paraguay beef imports based on outdated site visits and inadequate data is an unacceptable risk for hardworking beef producers in this country.”

Ben Weinheimer, President and CEO of Texas Cattle Feeders Association said: “TCFA appreciates Rep. Jackson and Caraveo’s efforts to roll back the Biden Administration’s risky, short-sighted rule permitting beef imports from Paraguay. The Administration has ignored numerous objections from U.S. cattle producers, concerned that this rule endangers the U.S. cattle herd with potential exposure to Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD), and has chosen to rely on inadequate information collected during site visits a decade ago. TCFA supports Rep. Jackson and Caraveo’s use of the Congressional Review Act to prevent beef imports from Paraguay until USDA APHIS conducts new site visits and collects up to date information that can be used to make a scientifically sound decision.”

Russell Boening, President of Texas Farm Bureau said: "Texas Farm Bureau (TFB) applauds Congressman Jackson and Congresswoman Caraveo for introducing a Congressional Review Act (CRA) resolution to nullify USDA’s final rule on the importation of fresh beef from Paraguay,” said TFB President Russell Boening. “To protect our nation’s cattle herd, we must ensure our trading partners meet the same animal health and food safety standards we pride ourselves on in the U.S. Unfortunately, Paraguay has historically struggled to contain foot-and-mouth (FMD) disease outbreaks, so importing their beef would pose a serious threat to not only producers, but also consumers. It is important for USDA to use updated scientific data before moving forward with rules that could put our nation’s food supply at risk. We thank Congressman Jackson and Congresswoman Caraveo for leading on this important issue and look forward to working with Congress to pass this legislation.”

Kerry Wiggins, President of Independent Cattlemen’s Association of Texas said: “Imported beef from Paraguay poses a serious threat to the health of our domestic herd and could jeopardize existing trade due to the country’s history of foot-and-mouth disease (FMD). An outbreak of FMD in the United States would cost the domestic cattle industry billions of dollars and disrupt consumers’ access to beef products.  ICA would like to thank Rep. Jackson for his leadership on this issue and for his support of Texas ranchers.”

Arthur Uhl, President of Texas & Southwestern Cattle Raisers Association said: “The U.S. beef industry is the gold standard for global safety and quality. Importing fresh beef from countries with a history of animal disease outbreaks is unacceptable and puts our industry at risk. International trade of live cattle and fresh beef is important and extremely valuable to the U.S. beef industry, but it must be done without subjecting our industry to detrimental disease outbreaks and unnecessary risks. Texas & Southwestern Cattle Raisers Association is appreciative of the leadership of Rep. Jackson and supports his efforts to oppose imports of fresh Paraguay beef.”

Kelley Thigpen, President of the Livestock Marketing Association of Texas said: “The Livestock Marketing Association of Texas (LMAT) applauds Rep. Jackson and Caraveo’s efforts to prevent Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD) from being introduced in the U.S.  A FMD occurrence would destroy the U.S. livestock industry and rural communities while also placing the domestic food supply at risk. USDA-APHIS must prioritize the protection of the U.S. livestock industry and practice timely, science-based, comprehensive analyses of all sources of animal and protein imports.”

Bryan Forester, Chair of the American Livestock Markets and Dealers Association said: “ALMDA appreciates Rep. Jackson and Caraveo’s efforts to minimize exposure to Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD). A FMD occurrence would devastate the U.S. livestock industry, causing untold billions in losses to livestock producers and rural communities and placing the entire domestic protein supply at risk. While international trade is vital to our industry, ensuring the biosecurity of all livestock is a non-negotiable duty for USDA-APHIS.”

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