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Senator Roberts meets with South Korea National Assembly membersUrges calm and reason following widespread protests over beef trade with U.S. Kansas U.S. Senator Pat Roberts, June 11, met with members of the South Korea National Assembly and called for reason and sound science to prevail amidst widespread protests regarding the resumption of beef trade with the United States. "The protests in Korea show that politics has taken the place of science in the food safety debate. I want to assure the Korean people of what we already know: U.S. beef is safe and delicious. It is my hope that the cooler minds will prevail and beef trade will resume as soon as possible," Senator Roberts said. In April, South Korea agreed to fully open markets to U.S. beef and beef products ending a nearly five year ban on U.S. beef following the discovery of a bone fragment in a shipment of U.S. beef. However, in May 2007, the OIE assessed the risk of BSE in the United States as a "controlled risk" allowing for trade of all products from cattle of any age. Senator Roberts is a member of the Finance Committee and a senior member of the Senate Committee on Agriculture nutrition and Forestry. From his position on both committees, Roberts offers unique leadership for Kansas, where the beef industry is one of the largest industries in the state--representing over $6.25 billion in annual revenue. The Finance Committee has jurisdiction over all trade agreements. Senator Roberts has been an outspoken advocate for adherence to internationally recognized scientific standards and the need for agreement on commercially viable import protocol. He had said continued delays on the part of Korea were a barrier to trade. Senator Roberts continues to look for opportunities for full U.S. beef trade in international markets, especially in China, Taiwan and Japan. 6/23/08 Date: 6/19/08
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