U.S. Beef Exports Reopen to Columbia

By MAGGIE MALSON September 24, 2024

USMEF announced the Colombian government recently lifted its ban on U.S. beef originating from states in which H5N1 was detected in dairy cows; therefore the Export Library for Colombia has been updated to reflect restored access for beef from 13 states, according to a release.

“The reality is that science was on our side and ultimately that prevailed,” says Dan Halstrom, U.S. Meat Export Federation President and CEO. “It wasn’t easy, but this is kudos to our government for staying with it and getting us back in with full access to Colombia.”

Halstrom expressed gratitude to the work of the government in helping with negotiations. 

“On behalf of USMEF’s membership, I want to thank the U.S. government, and especially the teams at the USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS), Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS) and Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) involved in the effort to restore full access for U.S. beef shipments to Colombia,” Halstrom says. “The USDA staff posted in Bogota, in particular, worked tirelessly to get these restrictions lifted. We are also grateful to Colombian importers and customers who remained loyal to U.S. beef during this difficult time and who voiced their concerns to the Colombian government about the interruption in trade.”

In its statement, USMEF officials shared it is important to note that effective USDA engagement with other trading partners helped prevent similar trade barriers from affecting additional export markets. While Colombia was the only destination to officially restrict imports of U.S. beef as a result of H5N1 findings in dairy cows, the impact on beef exports was substantial. 

“In April of 2024 we started experiencing some access challenges related to the H5N1 issue and we were up to 13 states that were not allowed to export to Colombia,” Halstrom adds. “We were averaging about $3,000,000 a month in exports and once we got once we got through April and into these restrictions we’re down to less than $1,000,000 a month so obviously a very adverse impact.”

The USMEF looks forward to rebuilding U.S. beef’s presence in the Colombian market and meeting the needs of its valued customers.