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Members
of the World Organization for Animal Health on Tuesday officially
classified the United States as a "controlled risk" region
for bovine spongiform encephalopathy, ostensibly allowing
it to export U.S. beef from cattle of all ages to markets
such as Japan.
Washington now hopes to leverage OIE's ruling in its efforts
to fully re-open both Japan and South Korea, though both
have said the classification alone wouldn't prompt them
to modify their current import policies.
"We will use this international validation to urge our trading
partners to reopen export markets to the full spectrum of
U.S. cattle and beef products," Agriculture Secretary Mike
Johanns said. "We are notifying our trading partners of
our expectation that they commit to a timeframe to amend
import requirements and expand access to their markets to
reflect this controlled risk determination."
The controlled risk designation is significant, since it
indicates the United States has strong support that its
science-based mitigation measures effectively protect animal
health and food safety.
Hard to argue
Countries aren't required to adhere to OIE guidelines, but
the designation at least makes it more difficult for them
to make the case that U.S. beef is unsafe, Andrea McNally,
spokeswoman for USDA, told Meatingplace.com.
Meat industry leaders agreed, and expressed hope that the
ruling would restore U.S. beef exports to levels preceding
the first U.S. case of BSE in December 2003.
"We believe we have demonstrated our leadership and foresight
in BSE prevention, control and surveillance and have earned
the trust of governments worldwide and of consumers around
the globe," AMI President J. Patrick Boyle said. "We hope
that this affirmation of the health of U.S. cattle herds
and the safety of U.S. beef will give our trading partners
full confidence."
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