China to resume selected US beef imports
beef that has been in place since the first case of mad cow disease
was detected in the nation.
But although the US government today welcomed the move, it said it was disappointed that the market opening remains "limited."
BSE, or mad cow disease, first appeared in North America when the disease was detected in an Alberta heifer in May 2003. Two other cases were subsequently discovered. China, along with Japan, South Korea and other major foreign beef markets, banned US beef in December 2003 after the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced finding its first case of BSE in Washington State.
Since then, US beef exports fell by 64 per cent. About 41 per cent of the traditional export markets, or $3bn, remained closed to US beef. In 2003, US beef imports to China were valued at around $100mn.
According to the US government, the lifting of the ban comes after lengthy technical discussions and is based on evidence that US safeguards work and that science supports the safety of US beef.
But only boneless cuts of beef from cows under 30 months of age are now due to be allowed into China.
"While we appreciate China's efforts since April to resume market access for US beef, we are disappointed with China's announcement today of a limited market," said US Agriculture Secretary Mike Johanns.
According to Johanns, at the April meeting of the Joint Commission on Commerce and Trade in Washington, China agreed to reopen its market to US beef by June 30 following the development of a science-based trading protocol, consistent with World Organization for Animal Health (OIE) guidelines.
"We have fully described the numerous safeguards in our system, answered many questions and delivered an abundance of factual, science-based assurances that U.S. beef is safe," said Johanns.
"It's time for China to open its market to all U.S. beef products, in accordance with the international standards established by the OIE. We will not be satisfied until a full range of US beef products are once again accepted into the Chinese market. These are the very same products that Americans and many consumers in nations across the globe safely enjoy every day. We stand ready to continue our technical discussions with China to finalize a protocol based on international scientific guidelines, which we hope will result in a significant market opening in the coming weeks."
In April this year, China and the US said they will work more closely on issues of food safety and animal and plant health. The two countries signed a memorandum of understanding to exchange information on food regulations and standards, inspection and quarantine procedures, and other issues such harmful residues and food certification.
"China is an increasingly important market for US food and agricultural products," said Johanns at the time.
He said the agreement would create a structure "to enable us to address sanitary, phytosanitary and food safety issues before they become barriers to the thriving agricultural trade between our two countries".
US farmers sold more than US$6 billion in agricultural products to China during 2005, making it the country's fifth largest export market.
The United States is also a major export market for China - the fourth biggest for its agricultural and food exporters.
