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Colombia lifts its restrictions on U.S. beef imports

Colombia has lifted restrictions on imports of U.S. beef and fully restored market access to the U.S.  Earlier this year, the Colombian government banned U.S. beef originating from states where H5N1 had been detected in dairy cows.

Dan Halstrom, president and CEO of the U.S. Meat Export Federation, says the association is grateful to have market access fully restored. “The reality is that science was on our side, and ultimately, that prevailed,” he says.  “And it wasn’t easy.”

He says the USDA staff in Bogota has been working tirelessly to get the restrictions lifted.

Halstrom says Colombia was the only destination to officially restrict imports of U.S. beef because of H5N1 findings in dairy cows, but the impact on beef exports was substantial.  “We were running at a clip of $3,000,000 a month of exports,” he says.  “Then post-April, when we had these restrictions, we’re down to less than $1,000,000 per month in other markets, competitors such as Canada took advantage of that.”

He says moving forward, the challenge for USMEF will be working to regain the lost market share.