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Trade messCan we ship beef to South Korea? We inked a tentative free trade agreement deal. They promised to accept U.S. beef, but will that hold true? What about Japan? Mexico? I can't even keep track. In some parts of the world we are back to business as usual. Other countries have said they would accept our beef, but in name only. We have trade agreements with some countries and no word from others. And now a judge has ruled Creekstone Farms Premium Beef, LLC, should be allowed to test 100 percent of its beef for BSE if it wishes to do so. Will they? Company spokesmen haven't said for sure, although they have a state-of-the-art facility ready to go. Shortly after the markets were closed, Creekstone had buyers willing to foot the bill for the testing. Are those customers still there three years later? We will soon find out, but will it change the position of any country that seems to be riding the fence? It seems beef trade should be very simple. The World Organization for Animal Health (OIE) has given the United States its "controlled risk" designation for BSE . Pending a final approval next month, the ruling means the U.S. regulatory controls are effective and U.S. cattle and products from cattle of all ages can be safely traded in accordance to international guidelines. But it isn't simple. There are conditions and regulations and on and on and on. The problem is not all countries play by the rules. As hard as trade representatives, industry groups and American companies have tried, some refuse to accept U.S. beef. It seems either a country will abide by science-based standards or it won't and no amount of cajoling on our part will make these countries play fair. So it leaves me, and the entire U.S. cattle industry scratching our heads and hoping for the best. Because right now, that seems all that we can do. Holly Martin can be reached by phone at 1-800-452-7171 ext. 1806 or e-mail at hmartin@hpj.com. B 4 4/9/07 4 Star NE Date: 4/4/07
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