Agricultural News
USMEF Phil Seng Says Reverbs on COOL Will Be Wakeup Call for Congress
Fri, 08 Aug 2014 14:59:33 CDT
Two of America's best export customers for US beef are next door with Canada to the north and Mexico to the south. The continued heartburn that Canada and Mexico have with the US over Country of Origin Labeling will not go unnoticed. US Meat Export Federation President and Chief Executive Officer Phil Seng said the divide over COOL will impact beef exports into those nations.
"This is a major issue that's out there and obviously from the standpoint what this means to the US its very important that this is addressed and from the USMEF standpoint we're very interested in making sure we are as WTO consistent as possible," Seng said.
Radio Oklahoma Ag Network Farm News Director Ron Hays recently visited with Seng at the Summer Cattle Industry Convention in Denver. Click on the LISTEN BAR below to hear his comments.
Looking ahead, USMEF's biggest concern is trying to avoid any retaliation from Mexico and Canada. Any retaliation will have an impact on US exports. Seng believes retaliation will be wake up call for Congress. Mexico is the largest export beef market for the United States and Canada is in the top five. Seng said both of these countries are critical as a export destination. Both of these countries are also beef producers as well.
"Mexico is an exporter of beef, but their beef exports this year are down four percent, so .......they need the product and they need our product and our proximity to both countries is very advantageous for us," Seng said. "The more that we can have a harmonious working relationship with these countries the better its going to be."
Over the last 30 years US beef exports have grown substantially. Seng said that growth can be contributed to a commitment to the export markets and a recognition of the role of USMEF has in recognizing the needs of these markets. The export industry from the United States also has a presence in over 100 countries and it's taken a joint effort of the traders and the packers to be flexible in accommodating international demands and making those commitments. Marketing of US beef has also been significant, especially the first BSE case in the US, in recovering the confidence of consumers around the world. Seng said its also taken a relentless pursuit of regaining market access. He said today there are still challenges over production methodologies, processing methodologies along with access issues, but education, promotion and customer service continues to grow the nation's beef exports.
The Beef Buzz is a regular feature heard on radio stations around the region on the Radio Oklahoma Network- but is also a regular audio feature found on this website as well. Click on the LISTEN BAR below for today's show- and check out our archives for older Beef Buzz shows covering the gamut of the beef cattle industry today.
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