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The One Rule That Made Global Meat Trade Possible
Description
Episode 95 of Global Trade with Fexingo explores the single regulatory framework that underpins the $200 billion international meat trade: the World Organisation for Animal Health's Terrestrial Code. Lucas and Luna trace how a 1968 outbreak of rinderpest in Europe led to standardized health certifications for beef, pork, and poultry shipments. They examine a specific 2023 dispute between Brazil and the EU over foot-and-mouth disease zoning, and explain why the Code's 'compartmentalization' principle allows trade to continue even when diseases are present. The episode reveals how one set of rules prevents a single sick cow in Texas from halting shipments from Argentina, and why the system is facing new pressure from lab-grown meat and avian influenza. No previous episode has covered the trade logistics of animal products.