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The fifth round of negotiations to rewrite the North American Free Trade Agreement wrapped up yesterday in Mexico City, and poultry was one of the newest agricultural issues up for debate over the past seven days of talks, thanks to new U.S. proposals.

A recently released USDA audit of Brazil's ability to produce safe beef calls into question the country's "equivalency" status that allows it access to the U.S. market, according to government, industry and food safety advocates. At a minimum the audit shows that Brazil still has some serious regulatory hurdles to clear before the country can resume shipping its renowned grass-fed beef cuts to the U.S.

There’s still confusion surrounding whether or not the Department of Agriculture is working to put together a contingency plan to help out farmers if the U.S. pulls out of the North American Free Trade Agreement, but experts say such a plan really wouldn’t help much in a worst-case scenario.