Wire Story
Members of Congress urge ambassador to end Japan’s ban on U.S. beef imports
By Logan C. Adams
Scripps Howard Foundation Wire
WASHINGTON - Thirteen United States lawmakers met with Japanese Ambassador Ryozo Kato Friday to urge him to end his country’s ban on importing American beef.
Sen. Pat Roberts, R-Kan., said the United States has done more than enough to earn access to Japan for its beef producers.“We have tested nearly 250,000 cattle in the United States in the past year,” he said. “Other major trading partners have tested under 500 head with no restrictions. I wanted to know why we’re being held to a different standard.”
The ban was put in effect in December 2003 when a single case of bovine spongiform encephalopathy, more popularly known as BSE or “mad cow disease,” was discovered in Washington state. BSE is a fatal degenerative nerve disease of cattle. Humans who consume beef tainted by BSE can contract a similar fatal disease.
Rep. Jerry Moran, R-Kan., said that the loss of Japanese customers has hurt ranchers.
“Ten percent of the price that comes to a Kansas cattleman for their beef is due to their exports, and 50 percent of that is Japanese exports,” he said. “And it’s not just the cattlemen that this affects. This affects Main Street business. It affects the economics of every small town in Kansas.”
Moran said they asked Kato when a decision would be made and received no answer. Kato left the meeting without speaking to reporters.
Roberts said that the lawmakers warned the ambassador there could be sanctions against Japan for continuing to ban U.S. beef.
“Pressure is building in farm country. As one cowboy told me from Dodge City, we don’t have to use Japanese tires on all of our cars,” he said.
However, the senator said sanctions would likely fail.
“I think that’s the wrong road,” he said. “I think if you try to fire a warning shot across the trade boat that you’ll probably hit the boat.”
Mike Schultz, chief executive officer of the Kansas Cattlemen's Association, agreed that it would be a strong benefit to Kansas farmers to have Japan's market open again, adding that the quality of the beef will eventually win Japan back.
"With and without imports or exports, we have a very good market here because the consumers believe in the product that we have and raise here now," he said. Two Japanese commissions are responsible for deciding about whether to import U.S. beef, Roberts said. To coax them into making a decision, Roberts said he had a plan.
“Basically, I recommended that all of us who represent beef states know that we use something called a cattle prod,” he said. “It tends to move cattle very quickly. So in terms of the risk-assessment commission, I recommended perhaps that we ship over several cattle prods, and maybe we can get them to make a decision.”
Roberts said the lawmakers, 11 senators and two representatives, discussed ways to ensure that cattle shipped to Japan would be disease free. Based on when ranchers stopped using cattle feed that could cause disease, he said Japan should be willing to accept any cattle younger than 17 months old.
“From our perspective, this has little or nothing to do with food safety,” Moran said, “but has to do with barring U.S. beef for some other reason, economic, trade or political.”
Lawmakers from Colorado, South Dakota, Nebraska, Mississippi, Georgia, Idaho, Utah and Texas attended the meeting.
By Logan C. Adams
Scripps Howard Foundation Wire
WASHINGTON - Thirteen United States lawmakers met with Japanese Ambassador Ryozo Kato Friday to urge him to end his country’s ban on importing American beef.
Sen. Pat Roberts, R-Kan., said the United States has done more than enough to earn access to Japan for its beef producers.“We have tested nearly 250,000 cattle in the United States in the past year,” he said. “Other major trading partners have tested under 500 head with no restrictions. I wanted to know why we’re being held to a different standard.”
The ban was put in effect in December 2003 when a single case of bovine spongiform encephalopathy, more popularly known as BSE or “mad cow disease,” was discovered in Washington state. BSE is a fatal degenerative nerve disease of cattle. Humans who consume beef tainted by BSE can contract a similar fatal disease.
Rep. Jerry Moran, R-Kan., said that the loss of Japanese customers has hurt ranchers.
“Ten percent of the price that comes to a Kansas cattleman for their beef is due to their exports, and 50 percent of that is Japanese exports,” he said. “And it’s not just the cattlemen that this affects. This affects Main Street business. It affects the economics of every small town in Kansas.”
Moran said they asked Kato when a decision would be made and received no answer. Kato left the meeting without speaking to reporters.
Roberts said that the lawmakers warned the ambassador there could be sanctions against Japan for continuing to ban U.S. beef.
“Pressure is building in farm country. As one cowboy told me from Dodge City, we don’t have to use Japanese tires on all of our cars,” he said.
However, the senator said sanctions would likely fail.
“I think that’s the wrong road,” he said. “I think if you try to fire a warning shot across the trade boat that you’ll probably hit the boat.”
Mike Schultz, chief executive officer of the Kansas Cattlemen's Association, agreed that it would be a strong benefit to Kansas farmers to have Japan's market open again, adding that the quality of the beef will eventually win Japan back.
"With and without imports or exports, we have a very good market here because the consumers believe in the product that we have and raise here now," he said. Two Japanese commissions are responsible for deciding about whether to import U.S. beef, Roberts said. To coax them into making a decision, Roberts said he had a plan.
“Basically, I recommended that all of us who represent beef states know that we use something called a cattle prod,” he said. “It tends to move cattle very quickly. So in terms of the risk-assessment commission, I recommended perhaps that we ship over several cattle prods, and maybe we can get them to make a decision.”
Roberts said the lawmakers, 11 senators and two representatives, discussed ways to ensure that cattle shipped to Japan would be disease free. Based on when ranchers stopped using cattle feed that could cause disease, he said Japan should be willing to accept any cattle younger than 17 months old.
“From our perspective, this has little or nothing to do with food safety,” Moran said, “but has to do with barring U.S. beef for some other reason, economic, trade or political.”
Lawmakers from Colorado, South Dakota, Nebraska, Mississippi, Georgia, Idaho, Utah and Texas attended the meeting.
posted by Logan C. Adams at 3/14/2005 11:54:00 AM
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