U.S. beef exports may increase to Chile

U.S. beef exports may increase to Chile    The U.S. Department of Agriculture on Wednesday said U.S. beef producers are now eligible to ship a larger array of products to Chile.
   The market opening in Chile follows months of bilateral meetings between the two governments.
   'These negotiations were based on a mutual respect for international, science-based standards, and USDA will continue to work with other nations to open their markets to U.S. beef based on the same, internationally accepted principles,” said U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack, in a statement.

Vilsack

   The United States exported about $6.2 million in beef and beef products to Chile in 2010, while worldwide it exported nearly $4.1 billion of these products last year, up 32 percent from 2009.
   USDA said the value of U.S. beef exports for 2010 was on par with beef trade figures preceding 2004, when bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) was discovered in December 2003 in a cow that had been exported from Canada to Washington state. Since that time, the department has worked to regain market access for U.S. beef and beef products around the world. Currently, more than 100 markets are open to U.S. beef.