USDA's Veneman Uncertain about US Beef Trade

[leftchick]

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=578&ncid=578&e=4&u=/nm/20040121/ts_nm/madcow_usda_dc

<snip>
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. Agriculture Secretary Ann Veneman on Wednesday said she did not yet know what safety steps the United States would have to take on mad cow disease to convince Japan and other major importers of U.S. beef to reopen their markets.

Interviewed by North Dakota radio station WDAY, Veneman said, "I'm just not sure what it's going to take" to reopen those markets.


U.S. beef exports were virtually shut down after the Dec. 23 finding of one case of bovine spongiform encephalopathy in a dairy cow slaughtered in Washington state. The United States normally exports more than $3 billion worth of beef annually, about 10 percent of its production.


Veneman said "it's premature to project right now" when foreign countries' trade bans might be relaxed. But she noted that after Canada identified one case of the animal brain-wasting disease last spring, "It was about three months before we opened up any market to Canada...and that was very limited."

[aquart]

1. In other words, she still hasn't done a damn thing?

Token testing and no substantive changes?

She sounds like an idiot. I'm quite sure Japan told her exactly what their requirements are for resuming beef imports.

[icymist]

2. Beef industry throwing about 800 million into an advertising

campaign about how good beef is for you. From what I heard on NPR last night, this should begin pretty soon. I'll be watching for it on my Tee Vee!

[shanti]

4. the super bowl

will probably have an advert showing someone chompin down on a huge burger! they love to release their propaganda then!

[NYC]

5. They ought to spend that $800 million

on food safety and cleanliness.

[pfitz59]

3. Venemous Ann is a prisoner......

of agribusiness! One more evil, slimy puke....

[virgdem]

6. Exactly - Anne Venemous will do nothing - she is beholden to Agribusiness

and all of the western ranchers/cattlemen that inhabit the Republican party. I'd suggest we all stay away from beef for quite a while. What's for dinner - not beef, that's for damn sure.

[jburton]

7. How about testing every cow?

Or not feeding them cow parts?

Really hard to figure out...

:eyes:

[maggrwaggr]

8. "we're trying to gain control of Japan's media"

so we can tell them whatever we want, but so far we've been unsuccessful.

It's so much easier here in the United States, where we simply lie to the American people.

These damn foreigners are really a problem. Aren't the Japanese terrorists?

[mbperrin]

9. Why not give those Japanese officials a free tour of the

Enola Gay exhibit?!

[burrowowl]

10. They may come up with

testing for export, but not for homeland consumption.
Or they just may consider tossing the export.
What with the Akin's diet and all Americans will make up for export.