IV 111th CONGRESS 2d Session H. RES. 1196 IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES March 18, 2010 Mr. Moran of Kansas (for himself and Mr. Blunt) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Ways and Means RESOLUTION Supporting increased market access for exports of United States beef and beef products to Japan.

Whereas, in 2003, Japan was the largest market for United States beef, with exports valued at $1,400,000,000; Whereas, after the discovery of 1 Canadian-born cow infected with bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) disease in the State of Washington in December of 2003, Japan closed its market to United States beef, and still restricts access to a large number of safe United States beef products; Whereas, for years, the Government of the United States has developed and implemented a multilayered system of interlocking safeguards to ensure the safety of United States beef, and after the 2003 discovery, the United States implemented further safeguards to ensure beef safety; Whereas a 2006 study by the United States Department of Agriculture found that BSE was virtually nonexistent in the United States; Whereas the internationally recognized standard-setting body, the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE), has classified the United States as a controlled risk country for BSE, which means that United States beef is safe for export and consumption; Whereas, from 2004 through 2009, United States beef exports to Japan averaged roughly $196,000,000, less than 15 percent of the amount the United States sold to Japan in 2003, causing significant losses for United States cattle producers; and Whereas, while Japan remains an important ally and trading partner of the United States, this unscientific trade restriction is not consistent with fair trade practices, nor with United States treatment of Japanese imports: Now, therefore, be it

That it is the sense of the House of Representatives that— (1)it is not in the interest of either the United States or Japan to arbitrarily restrict market access for their close partners; (2)trade between the United States and Japan should be conducted with mutual respect and based on sound science; (3)since banning United States beef in December 2003, Japan has not treated United States beef producers fairly; (4)both Japan and the United States should comply with guidelines based on sound science; (5)Japan should immediately expand market access for United States exporters of both bone-in and boneless beef beyond the existing standard of beef from cattle 20 months and younger; and (6)the President should insist on increased access for United States exporters of beef and beef products to the market in Japan.