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Taiwan
once the sixth largest export market for U.S. beef reopened
its markets to U.S. beef closed since the United States
confirmed one case of bovine spongiform encephalopathy in
December 2003. However, the Ranchers-Cattlemen Action Legal
Fund, Billings, Montana, said that Taiwan does not want
the U.S. beef it receives to be commingled with Canadian
beef. Taiwan and other countries have relaxed the beef ban
permitting boneless beef from cattle less than 30 months
of age.
Just
like Egypt -- a nation that reopened its market to U.S.
beef in recent days -- Taiwan is emphatic that it wants
only beef derived from cattle younger than 30 months of
age, slaughtered in the United States, R-CALF president
Leo McDonnell said. And while product from third countries
can be exported to Taiwan those countries have to be eligible
to export to Taiwan which indicates the Taiwanese do not
want any beef from countries affected by BSE. That means
they don't want Canadian beef co-mingled with our U.S. exports.
McDonnell emphasized: We're happy Taiwan and Egypt are
back on board as export customers, and we're also glad they're
not caving in to political pressures from Washington.
USDA
and other groups argue that USDA's Final Rule on BSE minimal-risk
regions -- that will lift the ban on Canadian beef and live
cattle imports is necessary to convince other countries
of the safety of North American -- U.S. and Canadian --
beef. Let's put things in perspective, McDonnell continued.
Our export customers are demanding more risk mitigation
measures of U.S. exports than what USDA's Final Rule if
implemented would require if Canadian beef were allowed
into the United States. Common sense tells you that USDA
could very well be jeopardizing these new trade agreements
with Egypt and Taiwan, and future agreements with other
countries, if the Final Rule is put in place. Fortunately,
the current injunction against USDA has reassured our foreign
customers that U.S. producers are serious about maintaining
our historically conservative firewalls to keep BSE out
of the United States.
R-CALF
said that Taiwan requires that certain specified risk materials
over and above that required by the Final Rule -- be excluded
from U.S. beef products. The only restriction in the Final
Rule on SRMs requires that just the tonsils and small intestines
be removed, McDonnell explained. All other SRMs would
be allowed, and segregation of older cattle in slaughter
or processing plants is not required in the Final Rule at
all.
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