December 22, 2004

 

 

U.S. Beef Leaders In Japan For Beef Trade Talks

 

A delegation of U.S. beef industry leaders made an unprecedented trip to Tokyo, Japan this week to meet with government and industry leaders with hopes of reviving the halted beef trade between the United States and Japan. 

 

This trip has come exactly one year after a single case of bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) detected in an imported animal in Washington State temporarily put a stop to beef trade between the United States and Japan.

 

Annual trade in beef between both countries is valued at $1.4 billion annually.

 

The delegation included Richard L. Bond, president and COO, Tyson Foods, Inc.; William A. Buckner, president of Cargill Meat Solutions; John R. Miller, CEO, National Beef Packing Company and John Simons, president and CEO, Swift & Co., Inc.  Accompanying these executives on the trip are J. Patrick Boyle, president and CEO, American Meat Institute; Philip M. Seng, president and CEO, U.S. Meat Export Federation and Terry Stokes, CEO, National Cattlemen's Beef Association.

 

"We are honored to be in Japan to offer our personal assurances that we are taking extensive efforts to ensure that U.S. cattle and beef are among the safest in the world," Boyle said. 

 

Boyle affirmed U.S. commitment to proactively preventing BSE and detecting its occurrence moreso than any other nation. He singled out the U.S. response to a single case as an example of stringent standards which exceeded international checks on imported animals.

 

In October, the U.S. and Japan agreed to an official framework for restarting trade. 

 

This industry delegation has come to Japan to inquire about the status of the agreement's implementation and to respond to questions and concerns in hope that the effort will speed implementation.

 

The U.S. has been considered "provisionally free" of BSE.  In another year after feed controls have been in place for a full eight years, the U.S. will be classified BSE-free.

 

The ¡°triple firewall strategy¡± of import controls, cattle feed restrictions and aggressive surveillance has worked effectively to prevent the disease in cattle and to maintain a safe beef supply, the delegation noted.

 

Members of the delegation also told officials that they were encouraged that Japan was changing its requirement that all cattle be tested for BSE, because leading experts say BSE cannot be detected in animals under 30 months of age. 

 

Experts in risk assessment at Harvard University who have studied the U.S. triple firewall system and say that the risk a single case of BSE poses is so low it can scarcely be quantified.