Here's the beef

Good News for Idaho Ranchers: Japan’s Beef Ban to Be Lifted

By Jennifer Gelband, 6-22-06

Where’s the beef? Not sure how to translate that catchphrase into Japanese, but undoubtedly it has been said a lot. Idaho cows have relished the joke since 2003, when Japan imposed a ban on U.S. beef amid the discovery of bovine spongiform encephalopathy, commonly known as mad-cow disease.

Now the ban is expected to be lifted this summer – around July 21. The U.S. Government and the Japanese Government have both inspected meat processing plants in America and they found nothing more than a bunch of dead cows, so away with the ban.

This is good news for international commerce, and good news for Idaho’s ranchers. Apparently only 10 percent of U.S.-produced beef is exported but that’s still a lot of money for homeboy ranchers: A congressional study reported that the industry lost $3 billion in beef exports after the detection of mad-cow disease in one dairy cow in Washington State.

The National Cattlemen’s Beef Association recently voted to support legislation that instructs the U.S. Government to institute agricultural and non-agricultural sanctions against Japan if beef trade is not immediately resumed. The Cattlemen also unanimously support S. 3364, legislation introduced by a Nebraska senator to ban any Japanese beef imports until Japan accepts U.S. beef. Cattleman Cevin Jones of Eden, ID, introduced the resolution supporting S. 3364.

So Idaho beef is going to look good, even though it is still as rare and bloody and sinewy as ever. The Idaho Department of Agriculture considers Japan an important partner for trade, and the lifted ban is likely to renew interest in Idaho meat to everyone. Except cows.

Like this story? Get more! Sign up for our free newsletters.