10/03/05 Cattlemen out of patience with Japan

American Rancher October 3, 2005 A committee of Japan's Food Safety Commission met last week and postponed a decision on whether to lift its 20-month old ban on U.S. beef imports. At a subsequent congressional hearing in Washington D.C. Jim McAdams, president of the National Cattlemen's Beef Association, said U.S. cattlemen are running out of patience with Japan. McAdams: "We have been told to be patient and we have been patient. We were told to allow the Japanese to work through their domestic process. But in less than a month, this October, it will be one year since our respective governments announced an agreement to implement trade in beef again. In that one year we haven't been able to send a single pound of beef to Japan." And McAdams said the issue is bigger than just selling beef to Japan and has ramifications for the Doha Round of world trade talks.. McAdams: "We see this Japanese beef issue as a litmus test as to whether our government can negotiate and force fair trade. Europe has closed it's doors to U.S. beef first manipulating then flaunting international trade rules. If Japan, the world's second largest economy is allowed to do the same, how can we think that we can have fair international trade in beef." NCBA is encouraging lawmakers to evaluate every measure possible to regain access to Japan for U.S. beef. Japan's Food Safety Commission is scheduled to meet again tomorrow. I'm Bob Hoff