Brazil Says Its Beef Is Mad Cow-Free Brazil is working to convince importers that its beef is free of mad cow disease. The campaign follows an Agriculture Ministry report saying that the carcass of a cow that died two years ago in southern Brazil contained the agent that causes the disease, but did not "manifest it nor die of it." Japan's government has already placed a ban on Brazilian beef. While Japan is not a big buyer of Brazil's beef, officials are worried other nations may follow suit. Officials said Tuesday that Brazil will send missions to the top 20 nations that buy its beef to explain the case. Brazil is the world's second-largest exporter of beef, according to the Brazilian Association of Beef Exporters.