Lawmakers from South Dakota and North Dakota applauded the Trump administration’s announcement on Monday that it had reached an agreement to end China’s ban on beef imports from the United States.
China’s ban on U.S. beef imports went into effect in 2003 after a case of mad cow disease was detected in Washington state. Prior to the ban, 70 percent of China’s beef was sourced from U.S. producers. Today, China imports $2.5 billion in beef each year.
U.S. Sens. Mike Rounds (R-SD), John Hoeven (R-ND) and U.S. Rep. Kristi Noem (R-SD), all supporters of growing U.S. agricultural exports, hailed Monday’s announcement as a win for the agriculture industry.
“Agriculture is South Dakota’s number one industry, with nearly 3.85 million head of cattle,” Rounds said. “I am pleased with the administration’s announcement and am glad we are now able to export our high-quality beef to China. Opening up this new, lucrative market will create substantial opportunities for South Dakota ranchers and bring a much-needed boost to the ag economy.”
Rounds authored a letter to U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) Ambassador Robert Lighthizer in May that highlighted the importance of growing U.S. exports, and beef exports to China in particular. Rounds and Hoeven also joined a letter calling on President Donald Trump to work toward an agreement on beef exports during his meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping in April.
“China is the second largest importer of beef in the world, which is why we’ve been working to open this market up to U.S. cattle producers,” Hoeven, the chairman of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Agriculture and a member of the Senate Agriculture Committee, said.
“Trade is vital to the success of our farmers and ranchers, and finalizing the beef agreement will benefit producers in North Dakota and across the nation, as well as Chinese consumers who will now have access to high-quality, U.S. beef,” Hoeven added.
Hoeven has pushed to expand U.S. agricultural exports throughout his time in the Senate. He served on the Senate-House Conference Committee that established an undersecretary of trade and foreign agricultural affairs within the USDA in 2014, and he backed a USTR compliance case against China pertaining to wheat imports in 2015.
Also underscoring the importance of trade, Noem noted that approximately 95 percent of consumers in the world live outside the United States.
“As the world’s largest beef producer, gaining market access is critical,” Noem, a member of the House Ways and Means Committee, said. “I welcome the administration’s proposal and am hopeful this renewed access to Chinese consumers will help boost the long-depressed cattle markets that have threatened many South Dakota cattle operations.”