U.S. Senator Ken Salazar Member: Finance, Agriculture, Energy, Ethics and Aging Committees 2300 15^th Street, Suite 450 Denver, CO 80202 | 702 Hart Senate Building, Washington, D.C. 20510
For Immediate Release May 22, 2007		CONTACT: Cody Wertz – Comm. Director 303-350-0032
UPDATE: U.S. Beef Confirmed as Safe – Beef Markets in Korea, Japan and Elsewhere Expected to Open Shortly WASHINGTON, D.C. – In a unanimous ruling earlier today, the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE) announced it had granted U.S. beef “controlled risk” status for Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE). With this status change, U.S. ranchers are poised to regain access to a number of partially-closed foreign beef markets, including Korea, Japan, China, and Russia. “Today’s unanimous decision by OIE confirms what Americans have known all along – that American beef is the safest in the world. This is an important step forward for ranchers in Colorado and across America, and now the finish line is in sight,” Senator Salazar. “I expect the markets of Korea, Japan, China, Russia and other nations with bans in place to recognize international science and immediately and fully lift their bans on imports of U.S. beef.” The “controlled risk” status for U.S. beef recognizes that science-based mitigation measures are in place to effectively manage any possible risk of BSE in the cattle population. This classification means that international scientific guidelines confirm the safety of U.S. beef products from cattle of all ages, including boneless, bone-in, and offals. Several countries have imposed at least partial bans on U.S. beef imports, including Korea, Japan, China, and Russia. # # #