Oregon Public Broadcasting

Restarting U.S. beef exports to Asia could soften the competitive pressures on Western cattle ranchers.  That’s what a Northwest Congressman told a regional conference of farmers of ranchers Thursday.

The Pacific Rim beef trade ground to a halt in 2004 after a Central Washington dairy cow was diagnosed with mad cow disease.

Washington Democrat Rick Larsen noted that Canada and the U.S. normalized their cattle trade this month.  He says that increases his resolve to pry open places like Japan and Korea.

Rick Larsen: “These countries that received a lot of U.S. beef exports in the past should be opening their markets back up for U.S. beef.  This U.S. beef issue is one of the issues preventing the U.S. Congress from moving forward on a U.S.-Korea free trade agreement.”

Congressman Larsen says the U.S. has less leverage over Japan, where there’s no free trade pact in play.