Lawmakers Rally in Support of Japanese Re-opening to U.S. Beef

“Re-opening the Japanese market to U.S. beef should be a top priority for every cabinet department,” stated Sen. Pat Roberts (R-KS), chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, at the nomination hearing for the U.S. Secretary of Agriculture. “Anytime one of our U.S. officials is holding a discussion with the Japanese government, the resumption of beef exports to that country should be on the agenda.”

“The USDA needs to make reopening the Japanese beef market to U.S. exports a top priority,” said Senator Max Baucus (D-MT), the ranking Democrat on the Senate Finance Committee, “but it's going to require direct personal involvement from everyone from the Secretary to the President, himself.  And it's going to require leverage.  If the Japanese say no, then we're going to have to say no to something they want, until it gets done.  While Japan drags its feet on its commitment to reopen its market, producers across the country are suffering. We need to get away from playing politics with BSE and move toward international, science-based standards for evaluating beef safety."

In 2003, Japan was the largest export market for U.S. beef and beef products.  It’s now been more than a year since the single case of BSE was found in the state of Washington, and beef trade between the U.S. and Japan remain closed. ©