• As previously covered on this blog, U.S. beef has been denied access to China for nearly 14 years due to concerns stemming from a case of bovine spongiform encephalopathy that occurred in Washington state in December 2003.  Following a series of talks between U.S. and Chinese officials, the White House recently announced that China would resume beef imports no later than July 16, 2017 as part of a broader trade agreement with China.
  • Yesterday, U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue announced that USDA has reached an agreement with Chinese officials on the final technical details of a protocol to facilitate the resumption of U.S. beef exports to China.  In particular, beef exports to the People’s Republic of China must meet specified requirements under the USDA Export Verification (EV) Program set forth here.  In addition, FSIS has posted China’s requirements for certifying U.S. beef being shipped to China (available here).
  • The National Cattlemen’s Beef Association and other leading beef industry trade associations have all praised the reopening of the very lucrative Chinese market which has been a top industry priority for years.