The office of the U.S. Trade Representative today March 23, 2012, opted to appeal the World Trade Organization (WTO) ruling on Country of Origin Labeling (COOL). National Cattlemen's Beef Association (NCBA) Vice President Bob McCann issued the following statement....More

International trade bolsters job creation here at home and helps foster economic activity in communities across the country. The beef industry plays a big role in the United States' trade portfolio. Last year alone, U.S. beef producers exported to countries around the world nearly $5.5 billion worth of product. And, it's generally agreed upon that increasing exports are the key to increasing demand for U.S. beef products. Unfortunately, our own government is hindering progress in opening new markets for these products....More

Iowa beef producers Dan Cook, New Providence, and Kent Pruismann, Rock Valley, participated in an Iowa Meat Trade Mission to Guatemala and Panama in early February. Cook, past chairman of the Iowa Beef Industry Council, explained that the mission was exploratory in nature to determine if there is a market for U.S. quality beef in Central America.   ...More

“The economic incentive will be there for cow-calf producers to expand this year,” says Kevin Good, CattleFax analyst. “We just need some help from Mother Nature.”...More

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has lifted its age-based import restrictions on U.S. beef and eliminated the Export Verification Program requirement.  This opening of the market could boost U.S. exports of beef to the UAE by 20 percent in 2012....More

President Obama and Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper recently announced details of a regulatory cooperation agreement designed to improve the flow of meat trade at the U.S.-Canada border....More

With a rapidly expanding range of U.S. beef cuts being exported to the Middle East, the U.S. Meat Export Federation (USMEF) recently launched a retail education campaign aimed at enhancing customers’ knowledge of underutilized cuts and other U.S. beef products that are relatively new to this region....More

Halal products represent one of the fastest growing segments of U.S. beef exports. Halal certification, which indicates that products have been processed and prepared according to Islamic guidelines, is required for export to most markets in the Middle East, as well as to Indonesia and Malaysia. But the popularity of halal beef is also growing is some areas in which halal certification isn’t required for entry, but is simply in high demand due to customer preference....More

The U.S. is one of two major beef-exporting countries with no comprehensive traceability system,” says Erin Borror, a U.S. Meat Export Federation (USMEF) economist. “Going forward, it places the U.S. at risk if an animal-disease outbreak occurs in this country, or if import customers impose traceability requirements.”...More

he World Trade Organization (WTO) today ruled in favor of Canada and Mexico in a complaint against the U.S. mandatory country of origin labeling (COOL) law, which took effect in 2008. Following the law’s implementation, U.S. imports of Canadian cattle and hogs and Mexican cattle declined substantially....More