With China and the United States trying to improve trade relations, White House press secretary Sean Spicer announced the publication of the USDA’s final details for beef exports to China, which have been barred since the first U.S. case of mad cow disease, in 2003. “The actions by the U.S. Department of Agriculture today are an important first step in the process of re-opening this lucrative market to American businesses,” Spicer said during Monday’s press briefing.
In a news release, four of President Trump’s cabinet members hailed the bilateral accord reached in technical-level discussions, a much higher level of attention than ordinarily given to such documents. Before the 2003 ban, the United States was the largest beef supplier to China. Exports are expected to resume in mid-July, ending years of effort to regain access to the market. China said last fall that it would end its ban, but the terms of trade had remained to be written.
China is one of the largest beef importers in the world. The new USDA guidelines require that beef exported to China come from cattle less than 30 months old. Eligible items include deboned and bone-in beef and ground beef. Meatpackers will be required to know the origin of the cattle slaughtered for export to China.