REPORTER: Mr. Secretary, there wasn't as much talk from this hearing and past hearings, about sanctions against Japan on the beef issue, but having said that what do you feel would be the threshold in terms of patience from Congress as this latest process continues to reopen the market?
SECRETARY JOHANNS: Well, I think Congress is watching and hoping that we get this resolved quickly. What is the threshold? What would be the magic day? Your guess is probably as good as mine, but here's what I hear as I come up here, and I've been on the Hill a lot since January because of budget hearings and trade hearings and this, that and the next thing.
Here's what I hear. I don't hear anybody arguing with the fact that our agreement with Japan specified certain requirements. This shipment did not meet that requirement. No one's debating that. I mean no one's debating that. No one is debating the fact that what was shipped to Japan was unsafe. That was not the issue. It just didn't meet the requirements. But that could have been shipped anywhere in the United States. That could be shipped anywhere in the world really for that matter. So it wasn't a food safety issue at all. I'm not getting any debate on that.
What I do get asked a lot is, how do they close a border over one shipment? Mike, tell me, does that mean should we go out and inspect every single Japanese car and when we find a defect, close the border to all cars? That's what I'm getting asked up here. That demonstrates to me a level of frustration because how do you work through these kinds of issues? We don't have a food safety issue.
http://www.usda.gov/wps/portal/!ut/p/_s.7_0_A/7_0_1OB/.cmd/ad/.ar/sa.retrievecontent/.c/6_2_1UH/.ce/7_2_5JM/.p/5_2_4TQ/.d/2/_th/J_2_9D/_s.7_0_A/7_0_1OB?PC_7_2_5JM_contentid=2006%2F03%2F0076.xml&PC_7_2_5JM_navtype=RT&PC_7_2_5JM_parentnav=TRANSCRIPTS_SPEECHES&PC_7_2_5JM_navid=TRANSCRIPT#7_2_5JM
Japan and there TSE experts are not the fools that Johanns makes them out to be and they will not follow this 'junk science' of johanns et al. i dont think he will ever realize that, and it is at the expense of each and every one of you cattle ranchers. as long as he is pushing this BSE/TSE junk science, you will continue to loose money. ...TSS
SECRETARY JOHANNS: Well, I think Congress is watching and hoping that we get this resolved quickly. What is the threshold? What would be the magic day? Your guess is probably as good as mine, but here's what I hear as I come up here, and I've been on the Hill a lot since January because of budget hearings and trade hearings and this, that and the next thing.
Here's what I hear. I don't hear anybody arguing with the fact that our agreement with Japan specified certain requirements. This shipment did not meet that requirement. No one's debating that. I mean no one's debating that. No one is debating the fact that what was shipped to Japan was unsafe. That was not the issue. It just didn't meet the requirements. But that could have been shipped anywhere in the United States. That could be shipped anywhere in the world really for that matter. So it wasn't a food safety issue at all. I'm not getting any debate on that.
What I do get asked a lot is, how do they close a border over one shipment? Mike, tell me, does that mean should we go out and inspect every single Japanese car and when we find a defect, close the border to all cars? That's what I'm getting asked up here. That demonstrates to me a level of frustration because how do you work through these kinds of issues? We don't have a food safety issue.
http://www.usda.gov/wps/portal/!ut/p/_s.7_0_A/7_0_1OB/.cmd/ad/.ar/sa.retrievecontent/.c/6_2_1UH/.ce/7_2_5JM/.p/5_2_4TQ/.d/2/_th/J_2_9D/_s.7_0_A/7_0_1OB?PC_7_2_5JM_contentid=2006%2F03%2F0076.xml&PC_7_2_5JM_navtype=RT&PC_7_2_5JM_parentnav=TRANSCRIPTS_SPEECHES&PC_7_2_5JM_navid=TRANSCRIPT#7_2_5JM
Japan and there TSE experts are not the fools that Johanns makes them out to be and they will not follow this 'junk science' of johanns et al. i dont think he will ever realize that, and it is at the expense of each and every one of you cattle ranchers. as long as he is pushing this BSE/TSE junk science, you will continue to loose money. ...TSS