PRESS RELEASE

Statement by Ambassador Schieffer on Resumption of Beef Trade


July 27, 2006

Today's announcement by the Government of Japan reopening beef trade with the United States helps resolve an issue that has been of primary importance to the United States government for many months.

Since January, each step of our export verification system has been carefully re-examined, and has been reinforced to be even more robust than before. We are pleased that Japanese auditors and officials have found our process to be sound, and we are proud that our system is scientifically based and exceeds international standards. Given this opportunity, the U.S. beef industry will continue to work tirelessly to provide a safe, high-quality product that Japanese consumers can trust and enjoy. We welcome the opportunity to once again compete in the Japanese marketplace.