Colombia on Thursday became the first country to officially limit trade in beef due to bird flu in cows, restricting the import of beef and beef products from U.S. states where dairy cows have tested positive for avian influenza as of April 15, USDA reported. This move won’t have a huge direct impact on U.S. exports as Colombia imports only a modest amount of beef from the U.S. annually, according to government data and the ban currently only applies to beef from eight U.S. states. The concern is that other more important export customers may restrict U.S. imports.
In a notice this week on the USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service website, which was last updated on April 22, the agency said the ban includes beef products derived from cattle slaughtered in Idaho, Kansas, Michigan, New Mexico, North Carolina, Ohio, South Dakota and Texas. Colombia imported about 4,440 metric tons of U.S. fresh and frozen beef/veal in 2023, while roughly only 0.5% of all U.S. exports, we do not want to see other partners adopt this stance.
