Nelson Urges President to Move Forward with Japanese Beef Trade Talks

NELSON URGES PRESIDENT TO MOVE FORWARD WITH JAPANESE BEEF TRADE TALKS

In a letter sent to President Bush on Monday, Nebraska's Senator Ben Nelson urged him to make Japanese beef trade his highest priority during the president's upcoming meetings with Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi.

"Now is the time to resolve this issue before it causes even more economic damage to U.S. cattle producers and beef processors," said Senator Nelson. "This meeting is a great opportunity for the President to not only do what's best for the economy, but also what's right."

Japan's present embargo on U.S. beef costs the cattle and beef industries $100 million every month. The ban is especially harmful to Nebraska, the number one beef exporting state.

Progress is being made, however, following an amendment sponsored by Nelson to prevent the USDA from expanding Japanese beef imports. Last week the Japanese Food Safety Commission panel released a report indicating the extremely low risk of infection from American beef. Senator Nelson also received a letter from Japanese Ambassador Kato and hopes the beef trade will resume between the two countries before the end of the year.

"We're moving forward," said Senator Nelson, "and with the help of the President, we will reach a fair conclusion."

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