The Biden Administration’s Attempt To Allow Beef Imports From Paraguay Would Hurt Nevada’s Ranchers And Cattlemen
WASHINGTON, DC – Today, the U.S. Senate overwhelmingly passed a bipartisan resolution that Senator Jacky Rosen (D-NV) helped introduce to block the Biden Administration’s effort to allow beef imports from Paraguay over concerns it would hurt Nevada’s ranchers and cattlemen. In November 2023, the U.S. Department of Agriculture issued a rule allowing the importation of beef from Paraguay. Nevada ranchers and cattlemen oppose this effort over concerns that Paraguay has a history of foot and mouth disease, which infects cattle and is highly contagious. This bipartisan legislation now heads to the U.S. House of Representatives for a vote.
“I’m always going to put Nevada first in everything I do, and that means standing up to the president and my own party when their actions would hurt our state,” said Senator Rosen. “I’ve been leading the charge with colleagues from across the aisle to block this ill-advised attempt to allow beef imports from Paraguay because it’d be bad for Nevada cattlemen and ranchers.”
Senator Rosen received widespread praise from Nevada ranchers and cattlemen when she helped introduce the bipartisan resolution to block this proposed rule:
“The importation of Paraguayan beef into the U.S. comes with numerous red flags, including the potential risk of introducing Foot and Mouth Disease,” said Martin Paris, Executive Director of Nevada Cattlemen’s Association. “The Nevada Cattlemen’s Association greatly appreciates Senator Rosen’s efforts to uphold the highest of food safety standards and ensure the continued health of our domestic cattle herd.”
“Nevada’s cattle sector is extremely important for our state, representing roughly two-thirds of the total agricultural sales,” said Doug Busselman, Executive Vice President of the Nevada Farm Bureau. “It is extremely important to protect cattle health by preventing imports of very risky foreign sources.”
Senator Rosen has been a strong advocate for Nevada’s ranchers and cattlemen. Earlier this year, Rosen sent a bipartisan letter calling on the U.S. Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition & Forestry to address long-term drought in the upcoming Farm Bill out of concern for its negative effects on farmers and ranchers in Nevada. Last year, she broke with the Biden Administration to block proposed regulations of U.S. waterways that would have hurt Nevada’s farmers and ranchers. Senator Rosen was also named a “Friend of the Farm Bureau” for being a consistent supporter of Nevada’s farming and ranching communities.
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