Enzi Wants Foreign Beef Production Explained

August 29, 2000

Sen. Mike Enzi (R-WY), chairman of the Senate Subcommittee on International Trade and Finance, and three other western senators have asked the Department of Commerce to explain how foreign beef is produced in order to educate domestic cattle producers and government officials involved in negotiating trade agreements.

"In order to enact trade agreements beneficial to U.S. farmers and ranchers we must first have comprehensive understanding of the situation on the other side of the bargaining table," Enzi said. "We need to learn more about how foreign governments subsidize their farmers and ranchers. We also need a report that helps us understand the regulatory systems of foreign countries. We want a look at the bigger picture. A comprehensive study that provides us with context will help us negotiate from high ground."

Enzi along with Sens. Conrad Burns (R-MT), Mike Crapo and Larry Craig, both Idaho Republicans, sent a letter to Secretary of Commerce Norman Mineta Monday asking the department to study animal health, transportation, pesticide and herbicide and environmental regulations as well as labor laws and government subsidies that affect beef production costs in countries that import or export beef or live cattle.

They said the study should include different types of cattle operations such as cow-calf, feedlot, processing and distribution and retail. They said U.S. cattle producers recognize ongoing World Trade Organization and Free Trade Area of the Americas negotiations may result in opportunities for U.S. producers, but the agreements also could lead to increased imports of beef and live cattle.

"As the United States participates in current and future trade negotiations, we believe that it is essential that negotiators, Congress and U.S. cattle producers fully understand the differences..." in each countries’ beef production, the senators wrote.

Australia, Argentina, Brazil, the European Union, New Zealand, Uruguay, Japan, Korea and China are the countries the senators asked the Department of Commerce to study. Enzi along with Sen. Craig Thomas (R-WY) also signed another letter to be sent to Mineta. That bi-partisan letter signed by more than a dozen senators including minority leader Tom Daschle (D-SD), asked for a detailed report on subsidies foreign governments provide to their cattle ranchers.