CATTLE INDUSTRY URGES TRADE EQUITY

WASHINGTON, D.C. (November 8, 2001) – Cattle industry trade priorities are at the top of the agenda at the World Trade Organization trade talks in Doha, Qatar, this week, said the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA).

“The National Cattlemen’s Beef Association has worked for years to stress the importance of fair science-based trade,” said NCBA Chief Economist Chuck Lambert. “Our government leaders at the WTO Ministerial Conference this week are now pursuing the objectives NCBA is seeking.”

Approximately 96% of the world’s consumers live outside the United States, and U.S. cattle producers are aggressively seeking access to those customers. The NCBA, on behalf of America’s ranchers, supports the Bipartisan Trade Promotion Act of 2001, accession of Korea into the WTO, tariff reduction, elimination of subsidies and access to foreign markets.

“U.S. negotiators must be able to negotiate the best deal possible if Asian market tariffs are to be reduced or access to the European beef market gained,” said Lambert. “Trade Promotion Authority and other negotiating objectives in H.R. 3005, the bipartisan Trade Promotion Act of 2001, will provide the necessary tools to enter key markets with U.S. beef.”

NCBA has met with members of Congress, officials at the White House, the United States Trade Representatives office and the United States Department of Agriculture, emphasizing the importance of a strong beef market to U.S. agriculture and the economy. NCBA has also written numerous letters explaining the cattlemen’s support for enforcement of equitable trade rules and, as a member of the AgTrade Coalition, aggressively pursued trade negotiating authority for the President.

“Last year, U.S. beef exports totaled a record $3.6 billion,” said Lambert. “Additional market access is possible as more negotiating authority is granted. We look forward to the WTO establishing a trade policy that is good for America’s cattle producers.”

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Producer-directed and consumer-focused, the National Cattlemen's Beef Association is the trade association of America’s cattle farmers and ranchers, and the marketing organization for the largest segment of the nation’s food and fiber industry.