02/28/05 Japan warned of retaliation over beef ban

American Rancher February 28, 2005 Twenty U.S. Senators have sent a letter to the Japanese Ambassador urging Japan to open up its border to U.S. beef. Johanns: "The word retaliation was a part of that letter. My hope is we don't have to get there." That was the reaction of Agriculture Secretary Mike Johanns to that letter, and he told reporters. Johanns: "When you have individuals signing a letter like that who I think are very thoughtful people, who see the big picture, who see the global economy and they are expressing concern. Believe me, everyone should take that very, very seriously." But is the Agriculture Secretary considering retaliation? Johanns: "You know I don't even want to go there. What I want to do is do everything I can to get this border reopened again." Senators from 14 states signed that letter to the Japanese Ambassador including Senators from Idaho and Oregon and it said in part "Our government has acted in good faith with Japanese officials to implement appropriate safeguards using internationally recognized science. Regrettably, these attempts have been rejected repeatedly by some in your government who are intent on stopping any resolution of this issue by using unrealistic requirements and dubious science." . Japan's Farm Minister made some comments linked to the letter saying Japan needs to speed up its process relative to reopening its market to U.S. beef. I'm Bob Hoff.