03/20/07 Preliminary "controlled risk" BSE status

American Rancher March 20, 2007 The U.S. has won preliminary "controlled risk" BSE status from the international group that sets animal health standards - a move that could help the U.S. in its long struggle to reopen key beef markets. The Organization of International Epizootics - or OIE - is expected to make a final decision on U.S. BSE status in May - but the U.S. will likely use the preliminary OIE designation to continue to pressure South Korea and others to fully reopen their markets to U.S. beef. National Cattlemen's Beef Association Vice President of Government Affairs Jay Truitt says the OIE designation helps the U.S. move away from the - he said, she said - fights with its key beef trading partners. Truitt: "If countries are going to really be a part of the world community they are going to have to actually begin to accept some of these international standards for science based trade and hopefully it will be the tipping point in a number of cases." Truitt says that includes Japan and South Korea. Truitt: "Obviously the first places we intend to take a document like this is gonna be to Korea and subsequently to Japan, but we can apply these same kinds of conditions in virtually every marketplace we are looking to export beef." Truitt says even China and Russia have started to recognize the importance of scientific trading standards. I'm Bob Hoff.