Republican and Democratic Senators from the Committee on Agriculture sent a letter to Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin urging the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States ("CFIUS") to review a Brazil-based meat processing and distribution company's planned acquisition of a Missouri-based beef processing company. The Senators requested an overview of the proposed acquisition by Marfrig Global Foods SA of National Beef Packing Co. for $969 million.

In the letter, the Senators said that the acquisition should be subject to a "thorough review process" in order to evaluate whether it may have any detrimental effects on the safety and security of the U.S. food system. The Senators pointed to a recent corruption scandal in Brazil that exposed safety and quality issues in shipments of beef intended for the American market, noting that issues were specifically identified in Marfrig shipments. The Senators explained that this scandal resulted in the Department of Agriculture ("USDA") banning Brazilian fresh beef imports.

The Senators further requested that CFIUS consult with the Food and Drug Administration and the USDA in its review of the proposed transaction.

Committee Ranking Member Debbie Stabenow (D-MI) and members Sherrod Brown (D-OH), Chuck Grassley (R-IA) and Joni Ernst (R-IA) joined in making the request to Secretary Mnuchin.

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