News Update

News Update
Jan. 12, 2006

Cattle Death Toll Emerges

The number of dead cattle falling victim to Colorado’s recent winter storms may be less than initially feared, according to the Denver Post — although the numbers are still significant.

Of the 300,000 cattle snowbound in southeastern Colorado, 3,500 are believed to be dead. Feedlots in the area confirmed another 1,000 cattle deaths, the article stated.

Officials at the state’s agriculture department caution the estimates may rise with additional inclement weather.

U.S., S. Korea to Begin Bilateral Trade Talks Monday

U.S. trade officials are scheduled to meet with their South Korean counterparts in Seoul on Monday to begin the sixth round of free-trade agreement (FTA) discussions, with one of the remaining issues being U.S. beef imports.

The Korea Times reported officials on both sides don’t expect to finalize negotiations until further talks scheduled for February.

— Meatingplace.com

Johanns, Matsuoka discuss WTO negotiations, U.S. beef

Two items of discussion at a Jan. 11 news conference between U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Mike Johanns and Japanese Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Toshikatsu Matsuoka were World Trade Organization (WTO) negotiations and more broadly opening the Japanese market to U.S. beef.

“We compared where each country was at and talked in depth about issues like sensitive products, special products, tariffs [and] domestic support,” Johanns said. “I indicated our desire to continue to work with Japan and find a way to open their market to additional beef from the United States. … I expressed what I had said publicly, and that is that our expectation for ourself, the United States, is that we will work with our trading partners in compliance with international standards. And that is our expectation for all of our trading partners, not just Japan.”

In reply, Matsuoka said, “The United States is the most important partner, bar none, in political, economic, diplomatic and cultural affairs. … We were able to confirm with each other that we will further even this bilateral relationship. … As Secretary Johanns has also indicated, in terms of WTO, we have agreed that our two countries should proceed based on close cooperation between us for the sake of success of the WTO negotiations.

Although the two sides agreed to further accelerate and strengthen bilateral consultations, Matsuoka said the Japanese are still in the middle of a verification period. Japanese authorities must first conduct deliberations at the Food Safety Commission of Japan, as well as an audit on U.S. establishments before talks of expanded trade may begin, he added.

In 2004, Japan and U.S. officials agreed that six months after restricted trade resumed they’d revisit talks about expanding trade and lifting the restrictions of the “under 21 months of age” rule.

— adapted from a transcript by USDA News