BSE ...
BSE
USDA Secretary Holds Joint Media Briefing With Canadian And Mexican Counterparts
USDA Secretary Ann Veneman Jan. 16 held a joint media briefing with her agricultural counterparts from Mexico and Canada — Bob Speller, Canadian minister of agriculture and agri-food and Javier Usabiaga, Mexican secretary of agriculture, livestock, rural development and food and fisheries.
The three met in Washington, D.C., to discuss common approaches to BSE across North America. They said that the integrated nature of the North American cattle market makes harmonization of food safety, protecting public health and the health of the North American cattle herd imperative and ways must be found to provide greater consistency in trade.
Following the discovery of BSE on May 20 in Canada, the three countries approached the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE) to provide more guidance on how to maintain and resume trade with BSE affected countries.
Secretary Usabiaga said North America could work to create new methods of responding to BSE that won't affect trade as much as they do today. He said reopening the Mexican border to U.S. beef is not a question of when, but how. First, the United States will have to demonstrate that it is implementing the measures outlined by Secretary Veneman on Dec. 30 and published in the Federal Register on Jan. 12. Secretary Veneman said she didn't think that rapid implementation of a national animal ID program would be a condition for resuming trade.
Usabaiga said Mexico began accepting some Canadian beef, with certain restrictions, Oct. 31.
Secretary Veneman said that the United States has been in contact with the Japanese since the Dec. 23 discovery of BSE, and another trade team is headed there, but she declined to say what proposals would be offered.
Usabiaga called the 21st century the "century of the consumer" and said, "Today we have to go a little further than maintaining and retaining consumer confidence."
Russia
Revised TRQ Lists Published
The Russian Ministry of Economic Development and Trade has just published the new lists of importers assigned shares of the Russian import tariff rate quotas (TRQ) for 2004. As we reported in the January 19 issue, the original lists have been recalled due to an error in calculation. The quotas of most companies have been changed (both decreased and increased) and the number of companies assigned quota amounts has been increased from 287 to 321 for pork, from 199 to 225 for frozen beef and from five to 16 for chilled beef.
BSE
USDA Secretary Holds Joint Media Briefing With Canadian And Mexican Counterparts
USDA Secretary Ann Veneman Jan. 16 held a joint media briefing with her agricultural counterparts from Mexico and Canada — Bob Speller, Canadian minister of agriculture and agri-food and Javier Usabiaga, Mexican secretary of agriculture, livestock, rural development and food and fisheries.
The three met in Washington, D.C., to discuss common approaches to BSE across North America. They said that the integrated nature of the North American cattle market makes harmonization of food safety, protecting public health and the health of the North American cattle herd imperative and ways must be found to provide greater consistency in trade.
Following the discovery of BSE on May 20 in Canada, the three countries approached the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE) to provide more guidance on how to maintain and resume trade with BSE affected countries.
Secretary Usabiaga said North America could work to create new methods of responding to BSE that won't affect trade as much as they do today. He said reopening the Mexican border to U.S. beef is not a question of when, but how. First, the United States will have to demonstrate that it is implementing the measures outlined by Secretary Veneman on Dec. 30 and published in the Federal Register on Jan. 12. Secretary Veneman said she didn't think that rapid implementation of a national animal ID program would be a condition for resuming trade.
Usabaiga said Mexico began accepting some Canadian beef, with certain restrictions, Oct. 31.
Secretary Veneman said that the United States has been in contact with the Japanese since the Dec. 23 discovery of BSE, and another trade team is headed there, but she declined to say what proposals would be offered.
Usabiaga called the 21st century the "century of the consumer" and said, "Today we have to go a little further than maintaining and retaining consumer confidence."
Russia
Revised TRQ Lists Published
The Russian Ministry of Economic Development and Trade has just published the new lists of importers assigned shares of the Russian import tariff rate quotas (TRQ) for 2004. As we reported in the January 19 issue, the original lists have been recalled due to an error in calculation. The quotas of most companies have been changed (both decreased and increased) and the number of companies assigned quota amounts has been increased from 287 to 321 for pork, from 199 to 225 for frozen beef and from five to 16 for chilled beef.