SAFE Act of 2023

To amend the Animal Health Protection Act to improve the prevention of the spread of animal diseases, and for other purposes. 1. Short title This Act may be cited as the Safe American Food Exports Act of 2023 SAFE Act of 2023 2. Engagement with key export markets (a) In general Section 10405 of the Animal Health Protection Act ( 7 U.S.C. 8304 (1) by redesignating subsection (d) as subsection (e); and (2) by inserting after subsection (c) the following: (d) Engagement with key export markets (1) In general To reduce the impact of animal disease outbreaks on United States exports, the Secretary, acting through the Administrator of the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, the Under Secretary of Agriculture for Trade and Foreign Agricultural Affairs, and the Administrator of the Food Safety and Inspection Service, in consultation with the United States Trade Representative, is authorized to negotiate regionalization, zoning, compartmentalization, and other trade agreements regarding outbreaks of known animal disease threats of trade significance with the governments of countries with export markets for livestock animals or animal products from the United States. (2) Research A negotiation carried out under paragraph (1) should seek to take into account accepted global research advances. . (b) Rule of construction Nothing in this section may be construed— (1) to limit the ability of the United States Trade Representative to negotiate trade agreements; or (2) to require the United States Trade Representative to condition other trade agreements on the inclusion of language relating to reducing the impact of animal disease outbreaks on United States exports, as described in subsection (d)(1) of section 10405 of the Animal Health Protection Act ( 7 U.S.C. 3804 3. Notification system The Secretary of Agriculture shall promulgate a regulation to require that, in the case of any language removed from the Import and Export Library of the Food Safety and Inspection Service, the Administrator of the Food Safety and Inspection Service shall directly notify each State department of agriculture, each lead State agency for animal disease, and any State and national producer organizations representing impacted livestock producers not later than 3 days after such removal.

Summary: Safe American Food Exports Act of 2023 or the SAFE Act of 2023This bill allows the Department of Agriculture (USDA) to preemptively negotiate regional export ban agreements for known animal disease threats that apply only to areas affected by animal disease outbreaks to enable the continuation of exports from areas not affected by an outbreak. The Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, the Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS), and the Foreign Agricultural Service, in consultation with the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative, are authorized to negotiate the regionalization, zoning, compartmentalization, and other trade agreements regarding outbreaks of known animal disease threats of trade significance with countries with export markets for livestock animals or animal products from the United States.In addition, USDA must promulgate a regulation requiring that, within three days of removing any language from the FSIS Import and Export Library, FSIS notify each state department of agriculture, each lead state agency for animal disease, and any state and national producer organizations representing impacted livestock producers. (The FSIS library provides country and product specific information for (1) meat and poultry exports, and (2) products eligible for import to the United States.)