U.S. Beef Is Safe To Eat, Japan Rules

"Obviously, we're pretty excited about it," said Jay Truitt, vice president of government relations of the National Cattlemen's Beef Association. "We're trying to be cautious about it, too, from the perspective that beef is not there until beef is there." The resumption of trade is not expected to have a significant impact on the price of beef, and U.S. producers will have to win back wary Japanese consumers. Japan was the biggest market for U.S. beef until it banned imports in December 2003 after the discovery of mad cow disease in Washington state. "It's a big psychological lift for the American beef market," said Don Petersen, a cattle feeder from Muscatine who is chairman of the Iowa Beef Industry Council. Japan imported $1.4 billion worth of U.S. beef in 2003. http://desmoinesregister.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20051209/BUSINESS01/512090349/1030&template=printart

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