SAFE Act of 2025

Summary

Authorizes USDA officials (through APHIS and FSIS) together with the Under Secretary for Trade and Foreign Agricultural Affairs and the U.S. Trade Representative to negotiate regionalization, zoning, compartmentalization, and similar arrangements with foreign governments to reduce the trade impact of animal disease outbreaks on U.S. livestock and animal-product exports. Requires that negotiations take into account accepted global research advances and clarifies that this authority does not limit the USTR’s broader trade-negotiating authority or force inclusion of these provisions in unrelated trade agreements.

• Authorizes USDA (APHIS and FSIS) to negotiate with foreign governments on regionalization, zoning, compartmentalization and similar measures to protect exports during animal disease outbreaks.
• Requires negotiators to consider accepted global research advances when pursuing export-protection agreements.
• Requires coordination with the U.S. Trade Representative but does not limit the USTR’s broader negotiating authority.
• Focuses on reducing export disruptions for U.S. livestock and animal-product producers by isolating affected areas rather than closing whole countries.
• Does not provide new funding, change tax law, or impose mandates on state or local governments.
• Applies to export markets and trade measures, not domestic disease response policy or emergency appropriations.
• Implementation depends on interagency cooperation and use of scientific evidence to justify regional or compartmentalized access.