June 13, 2017
The United States and China finalize details to send U.S. beef to China. It is the fist time a commercial shipment of U.S. beef will make its way to China since 2003.
U.S. beef producers will need to be able to trace cattle back to the farm on which they were born or the port of entry from which they arrived from Canada or Mexico. The Agricultural Marketing Service has posted the requirements for its export verification program, which will enable packers to apply for approval to export to China. The Food Safety and Inspection Service has also updated its online library. It’s estimated that China spends 2.6 billion dollars on beef annually.
The National Cattlemen’s Beef Association hails the agreement saying,
“NCBA commends the leadership of President Trump and our skilled negotiators who were able to restore U.S. beef access to China, something that has been a top priority for NCBA for 13 years.”
The U.S. Meat Export Federation released the following statement saying,
“China holds exciting potential for the U.S. beef industry and for buyers in the market who have waited a very long time for the return of high-quality U.S. beef.”
For more information visit ams.usda.gov.