05/06/05 Any hope to get our beef back in?,Pt.1

There are several interested parties in the U.S. getting antsy about how long is it going to take for Japan and South Korea, two of our nation's three largest beef importers prior to bans stemming from the December 2003 b.s.e. case in America, to reopen their markets. After all, the U.S. and Japan had reached a preliminary agreement after months of negotiation, only to see that bogged down in the Japanese government regulatory process. And if one was unaware for the purpose of a recent U.S.D.A. trade mission to those nations, that person might have felt disappointed that again there was no announcement of reopening the border. However, U.S.D.A. Deputy Under Secretary Chuck Lambert says the purpose of his delegation's visit to Japan was not to negotiate, but to educate. LAMBERT: Those were much more public outreach discussions we were asked to come and talk to consumers groups a variety of public groups in Japan to explain where we are. We've not had a domestic case of b.s.e. We explained the enhanced surveillance program, the feed ban that's been in place, the s.r.m. removal, and our moving towards then softening public opinion so that the government of Japan can make a less risky decision to reopen imports. And if Japanese consumer reaction and feedback to the U.S. trade team is any indication, that p.r. strategy is working. U.S.D.A. Under Secretary Bill Hawks notes a comment made to him by a member of the trade delegation headed by Lambert. HAWKS: He said he was walking through the airport in the morning getting ready to leave there and this Japanese lady stopped him and say, "You on television wanting to get U.S. back in here, says we want U.S. beef. We love U.S. beef". But still no reopening of Japan's market to U.S. beef. But U.S.D.A. Undersecretary J.B. Penn says there could be some movement on that front very soon. PENN: Their public notice period for their domestic regulation, which to move away from one hundred per cent testing, ended on April 27th. We're led to believe that the Food Safety Commission. We think at that point they can complete the domestic reg, and then at that point, they can take up the regulation concerning imported product. But can Japan speed things up at that point? And did the U.S. delegation have an easier time in reaching some sort of agreement with South Korea? Answers to those questions are discussed in our next program.