Mexico reopens market to U.S. beef imports

Mexico reopens market to U.S. beef imports    The Mexican government has agreed to a phased-in approach to reopening its borders to U.S. beef imports.
   The first phase of the agreement will mirror the beef trade agreement between Canada and Mexico and will allow exports to Mexico of boneless U.S. beef products from animals of less than 30 months of age.
   “We have worked closely with the Mexican officials to inform them of all the actions USDA (U.S. Department of Agriculture) has taken to further strengthen our food safety and animal health systems since the discovery of a BSE (bovine spongiform encepthalopathy) positive animal last December,” said U.S. Agriculture Secretary Ann M. Veneman in a March 3 statement. “We have provided to Mexican officials extensive information as requested, and have hosted their technical teams to illustrate that our beef is indeed safe.”
   USDA and its Mexican counterpart are developing the certification language. U.S. beef shipped to Mexico will be certified jointly by the USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service and the Agriculture Marketing Service.
   The Mexican government, like many other foreign governments, closed its borders to U.S. beef shipments shortly after the USDA’s BSE discovery announcement Dec. 23. BSE, a brain-wasting disease, may be transmitted to humans that eat infected meat.
   The U.S. meat industry applauds the Mexican government’s decision to reopen its market to their products.
   “Although all our products are not included in the reopening, we see this as the first step of the complete opening of the Mexican market to all U.S. beef products,” said Homero Recio, vice president of the U.S. Meat Export Federation, in a statement.
   “Boneless beef products account for the lion’s share (75 to 80 percent) of U.S. beef exports to Mexico, so we hope for brisk trade soon in these items,” Recio added.
   According the federation, in 2003 the United States exported 335,847 metric tons of beef and beef variety meat products to Mexico, valued at $877 million. Mexico is the U.S. meat industry’s second biggest international market.
   USDA officials are also working with other governments, such as Japan and South Korea, to encourage them to reopen their markets to U.S. beef.