06/18/08 Cattlemen want Korea held to beef agreement

Washington Ag June 18, 2008 U.S. and South Korean trade officials were meeting again yesterday in Washington D.C. on the issue of U.S. beef exports to the Asian nation. Although Korea had agreed to accept imports of beef from cattle of any age domestic opposition has lead the Korean government to try and get the U.S. to limit exports to cattle under 30 months of age. Washington State Cattlemen's Association Executive Vice President Jack Field says they were pleased to hear the U.S. government say it wouldn't renegotiate the beef agreement. Field: "However, the concern is as we are seeing now the Korean government is wanting to back away as quickly as they can from that. The issues they are raising are clearly not valid or not based on any type of science, which is one of the biggest frustrations that the industry has here in Washington state and the throughout the country. Washington state the U.S. industry has been held to a higher standard following the science that has been internationally recognized and agreed on. And when we get down to these trade issues it is purely economics that seem to be driving the discussion." Field says some WCA members say in jest that if the U.S. would stop and inspect the anti-lock brakes on every car imported from Korea we'd have the beef deal finished in about two minutes. I'm Bob Hoff.