“American Cattlemen are pleased with Taiwan’s announcement to resume imports of US beef and beef products,” said Jan Lyons, president of the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association and a Kansas cattle producer.
With the announcement that Taiwan will again be importing US beef following a similar announcement by Japan, Lyons noted that the association is encouraged by this new progress in the Asian market.
In recent years Taiwan had been one of the fastest growing markets for US beef products. Between 1998 and 2000 trade in US beef products with Taiwan had doubled, and in 2003 the market in beef and beef products had reached $76.3 million, with the total beef product trade reaching $325 million.
Lyons noted that US cattlemen will have their work cut trying to bring the trade in beef products with Taiwan back up to the December 23, 2003 level.
US cattle producers are working to assure Taiwan trading partners that US beef and cattle are safe from BSE. In December 2003 a single case of BSE was discovered on a farm in Washington State, following which Taiwan and Japan closed their doors to US beef and beef products.
