U.S. Agriculture Secretary Mike Johanns Declares U.S. Beef Is Safe

Suggested Lead: U.S. Agriculture Secretary Mike Johanns said in a keynote address to the U.S. Meat Export Federation (USMEF) member meeting in Washington, D.C. that U.S. beef is safe and he will not rest until all markets, especially Japan, reopen to U.S. beef.

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Johanns also said President George Bush is a president who understands agriculture and the U.S. government has secured funding for BSE research in order to ensure its safety.

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Taiwan recently reopened to U.S. beef. This was made possible by a team effort among government officials, the USDA and USMEF, which provides in-depth market knowledge, experience and expertise.

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The beef market is a global one. Johanns points out that partnerships, like the one with USMEF, are essential for U.S. producers to succeed in putting U.S. beef on the world’s table.

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The U.S. Meat Export Federation is the trade association responsible for developing international markets for the U.S. red meat industry and is funded by USDA, exporting companies, and the beef, pork, corn, sorghum and soybean checkoff programs.