Lincoln, Johanns Press Japan to Lift Restrictions on U.S. Beef

Press Release

Senators Blanche Lincoln, D-Ark., and Mike Johanns, R-Neb., today introduced a resolution pressing Japan to lift its partial ban on U.S. beef. Lincoln, Chairman of the Senate Agriculture Committee, and Johanns, a former Secretary of Agriculture, were joined by 17 bipartisan cosponsors. The resolution states Japan should immediately expand market access for U.S. beef products, and urges the Obama Administration to insist on increased market access from Japan.

"Due in large part to a lack of export markets, American beef producers have lost an average of $1.4 billion annually since 2003 despite the fact that sound science tells us that our product is safe. Asia continues to hold the greatest growth potential in market access for American beef exports and these non-tariff trade barriers from Japan must be brought down," Lincoln said.

"For too long, Japan has been grossly unfair in its treatment of U.S. beef and beef producers for reasons that defy scientific rationalization, even as the U.S. goes out of its way to treat Japanese products fairly," Johanns said. "We have proven that U.S. beef is safe for consumption. Japan must recognize that fact and remove its non-scientific barriers to our beef sales."

Background:

* Japan originally closed its borders to all American beef products in 2003 citing Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE) concerns.
o Japan currently limits its imports of U.S. beef to only boneless beef from cattle aged 20 months and younger.

* Before the ban, Japan was the largest market for U.S. beef, with exports valued at $1.4 billion.
o Since the ban was enacted, from 2004-2009, U.S. beef exports to Japan averaged approximately $196 million, less than 15 percent of the 2003 level.

* According to the National Cattlemen's Beef Association, Japan's ban on U.S. beef results in approximately $1 billion in lost exports annually for American producers.

* The internationally recognized authority, the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE), has classified the United States as a controlled risk country for BSE, which means that U.S. beef is safe for export and consumption.

Source