Texas Cattle Groups Request World Trade Organization Action

The leaders of Texas' two largest cattle organizations, Texas and Southwestern Cattle Raisers Association (TSCRA) and Texas Cattle Feeders Association (TCFA) have called upon the Bush Administration to pursue World Trade Organization action against those countries that continue to show an unwillingness to open their market for U.S. beef. Many countries closed their borders to imports of U.S. beef following the Dec. 23, 2003, announcement that Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE) was detected in a cow from the state of Washington. Although 70 of those countries have again allowed U.S. beef imports, negotiations to reopen 28 other crucial markets have apparently stalled in spite of continued efforts by top Administration officials in the ensuing months. The U.S. Department of Agriculture estimates that shortly after the BSE discovery, $4.8 billion in U.S. beef and beef product exports were banned by several countries. TSCRA President Dick Sherron of Beaumont and TCFA Chairman Charlie Sellers of Amarillo contend that U.S. trade with international customers should resume based on the Office of International Epizootics (OIE) recommendations. The OIE publishes health standards for international trade in animals and animal products. There are 167 member countries of the organization....

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