Mike
Well-known member
Creekstone in Japan
BY RICHARD SMITH
TOKYO -- Arkansas City's Creekstone Farms is very committed to exporting its beef to Japan, but others in the U.S. beef industry are setting their sights on another Asian country.
"Many of our competitors think they should export to South Korea," CEO John Stewart said at a meeting of Japan's main opposition party's BSE Strategy Headquarters this afternoon.
Stewart told assembled Diet (Japanese parliament) members of the Democratic Party of Japan, Japanese and foreign press that South Korea is expected to lifts its ban on U.S. meat within 45 days.
The U.S. will then be able to export beef up to 30 months old to that country, as long as it is deboned. Such meat is considered safe from BSE according to international standards. But Japan limited imports from the U.S. to beef of 20 months and younger.
Stewart emphasized the average age of cattle in the U.S. is 24 months.
"Finding beef 20 months old and younger is difficult and costly," he said.
After lifting a two-year ban on U.S. beef because of BSE on Dec. 12, Japan closed its doors again Jan. 20 when banned parts under export to Japan rules were found in a shipment of veal from a small company in Brooklyn, N. Y.
Stewart said U.S. beef exporters have to be careful with Japan because they can make a big investment in the country and could risk seeing everything stop in one day.
"We are bothered by the fact that if one tiny company makes a silly mistake, then every body loses," he said.
Part of the problem stems from a policy of blanket approval of beef from all plants in the U.S. at one time, said Stewart. Such a policy overlooks the varying degrees of capabilities within the industry, he added.
"If every U.S. beef plant were like Creekstone, I would not be with you today," Stewart said.
Instead of a blanket approval, Stewart proposed Japan adopt a "plant-by-plant" approval system.
Highlights of such a system would be:
* Japan would identify U.S. companies that want to export beef to Japan
* Those companies would be required to follow every Japanese exporting regulation
* Companies not adhering to the rules would be forbidden from exporting to Japan
* If there is any problem in a processing plant, that plant would be removed from the exportation list
"The system would raise the bar for the whole industry in the United States," Stewart said.
Within the last month, Creekstone farms received visits by two Diet fact-finding teams; one from the DPJ and the other from the ruling Liberal Democratic Party.
Stewart, accompanied by Creekstone international and Ethnic Sales Vice President Rich Swearingen, planned his trip here two months ago upon resumption of trade.
Maintaining his position on the plan despite the renewed ban, he accepted the BSESH's invitation to talk.
The executives also visited their Japanese customers.
"Our customers are very supportive. They want the market to reopen," Stewart said.
So does the LDP, the DPJ and the ministry of agriculture, forestry and fisheries, Stewart concluded from talks he had.
"But there are procedures," he said.
Above: Creekstone Farms CEO John Stewart, second from left, speaks to the Diet, or Japanese parliament, members of the Democratic Party of Japan on that nation's beef industry and the U.S.'s attempts to reopen the market.
BY RICHARD SMITH
TOKYO -- Arkansas City's Creekstone Farms is very committed to exporting its beef to Japan, but others in the U.S. beef industry are setting their sights on another Asian country.
"Many of our competitors think they should export to South Korea," CEO John Stewart said at a meeting of Japan's main opposition party's BSE Strategy Headquarters this afternoon.
Stewart told assembled Diet (Japanese parliament) members of the Democratic Party of Japan, Japanese and foreign press that South Korea is expected to lifts its ban on U.S. meat within 45 days.
The U.S. will then be able to export beef up to 30 months old to that country, as long as it is deboned. Such meat is considered safe from BSE according to international standards. But Japan limited imports from the U.S. to beef of 20 months and younger.
Stewart emphasized the average age of cattle in the U.S. is 24 months.
"Finding beef 20 months old and younger is difficult and costly," he said.
After lifting a two-year ban on U.S. beef because of BSE on Dec. 12, Japan closed its doors again Jan. 20 when banned parts under export to Japan rules were found in a shipment of veal from a small company in Brooklyn, N. Y.
Stewart said U.S. beef exporters have to be careful with Japan because they can make a big investment in the country and could risk seeing everything stop in one day.
"We are bothered by the fact that if one tiny company makes a silly mistake, then every body loses," he said.
Part of the problem stems from a policy of blanket approval of beef from all plants in the U.S. at one time, said Stewart. Such a policy overlooks the varying degrees of capabilities within the industry, he added.
"If every U.S. beef plant were like Creekstone, I would not be with you today," Stewart said.
Instead of a blanket approval, Stewart proposed Japan adopt a "plant-by-plant" approval system.
Highlights of such a system would be:
* Japan would identify U.S. companies that want to export beef to Japan
* Those companies would be required to follow every Japanese exporting regulation
* Companies not adhering to the rules would be forbidden from exporting to Japan
* If there is any problem in a processing plant, that plant would be removed from the exportation list
"The system would raise the bar for the whole industry in the United States," Stewart said.
Within the last month, Creekstone farms received visits by two Diet fact-finding teams; one from the DPJ and the other from the ruling Liberal Democratic Party.
Stewart, accompanied by Creekstone international and Ethnic Sales Vice President Rich Swearingen, planned his trip here two months ago upon resumption of trade.
Maintaining his position on the plan despite the renewed ban, he accepted the BSESH's invitation to talk.
The executives also visited their Japanese customers.
"Our customers are very supportive. They want the market to reopen," Stewart said.
So does the LDP, the DPJ and the ministry of agriculture, forestry and fisheries, Stewart concluded from talks he had.
"But there are procedures," he said.
Above: Creekstone Farms CEO John Stewart, second from left, speaks to the Diet, or Japanese parliament, members of the Democratic Party of Japan on that nation's beef industry and the U.S.'s attempts to reopen the market.