Agricultural News
NCBA Pleased that Secretary Vilsack is Headed for Japan to Talk US Beef Access
Fri, 02 Apr 2010 3:50:45 CDT
The National Cattlemen's Beef Association (NCBA) is pleased with the news of U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack's trade mission to Japan.
"We appreciate Secretary Vilsack's efforts to strengthen the relationship between the U.S. and Japan when it comes to trade in agricultural products between our two countries," said Steve Foglesong, NCBA president. "Japan is one of our top trading partners and it's critical that the U.S. continues to engage with Japan and all of our international trading partners about the necessity of abiding by science-based international guidelines in beef trade."
Following a detection of bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) in the U.S. in 2003, Japan closed its borders to U.S. beef. Today, Japan only allows beef products from cattle under 21 months of age, costing U.S. producers roughly $1 billion in lost export revenues each year.
Since 1990, USDA's BSE surveillance program has resoundingly demonstrated that BSE in the U.S. cattle herd is virtually non-existent. Internationally, it is likely that BSE will be fully eradicated from the planet within the next 10 to 15 years. The World Organization for Animal Health (OIE), has classified the Unites States as a controlled risk country for BSE the same designation as Japan. This classification means that all beef products, regardless of age, can be safely traded as long as specified risk materials are removed.
"We are encouraged to see that the Obama Administration has announced that it intends to engage Japan in discussions about science-based import standards. Japan's failure to apply the OIE guidelines continues to result in significant losses for the U.S. beef industry limiting us to about 25% of our potential market there," said Foglesong.
Secretary Vilsack will be in Japan April 5-9 and will be discusssing beef trade access with Japanese officials. He will also help commemorate the airlifting of US sows into Japan fifty years ago that helped reestablish the Japanese swine herd and was a part of an effort by the US Grains Council to cultivate a significant market for US Feed Grains. Japan is by far the largest foreign market for U.S. feed grains, importing over 15 million metric tons per year from the United States. This market for U.S. feed grains can be traced to the market development efforts of the U.S. Grains Council funded by barley, corn and sorghum producers and agribusinesses in cooperation with USDA's Foreign Agricultural Service as well as the opportunities presented by the famous "hog lift." In fact, the origin of the Council can be traced to the "hog lift," where in 1959 the U.S. agricultural industry and U.S. government assisted Japan in recovering its hog industry following two typhoons which hit the Yamanashi prefecture, the most important livestock producing prefecture in Japan.
We had comments with Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack on his upcoming trip to Japan earlier this week on the Beef Buzz- click here to jump to that report and listen to Vilsack and his plans in Japan next week.
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