Release No. 0001.04

Alisa Harrison (202) 720-4623
Ed Loyd (202) 720-4623

USDA OFFICIALS MEET WITH COUNTERPARTS IN MEXICO

     MEXICO CITY, Jan. 6, 2004— U.S. Department of Agriculture Under Secretaries J.B. Penn and William Hawks met today with Secretary Javier Usabiaga, Under Secretary Javier Trujillo, and Chief Veterinary Officer Jose Angel del Valle of the Mexican Secretariat of Agriculture, Livestock, Rural Development, Food and Fisheries (SAGARPA) to discuss the reopening of the Mexican market to U.S. beef exports.

     Mexico suspended imports of live animals and beef products and subproducts of bovine origin from the United States on Dec. 24, 2003 due to a reported case of Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE) found in the State of Washington.

     The USDA officials reassured the Mexican government that the U.S. meat supply is safe and engaged in a discussion regarding the additional measures announced by USDA on Dec. 30, 2003 to further enhance consumer safety and protect livestock health.

     SAGARPA outlined for the USDA officials Mexico’s requests for additional information concerning timing, implementation procedures, and enforcement of the six measures USDA announced to further assure the safety of the North American herd and beef supply. SAGARPA also requested information regarding traceability and results of the epidemiological investigation now being conducted.

     USDA invited a technical team from SAGARPA to visit the United States next week for further technical consultations and discussions. The invitation was accepted and it was agreed that Dr. Jose Angel del Valle will lead the Mexican delegation. A joint visit by the U.S. and Mexican cattle industries is expected to follow soon thereafter in order to observe the implementation of the additional controls.

     SAGARPA also expressed its recognition of the timeliness and transparency of USDA’s notifications and actions related to this case of BSE.

     Both governments pledged to continue to work collaboratively to further reassure global consumers of the safety of the North American beef supply. Mexico and the United States have worked closely with Canada since the detection of a single case of BSE in Alberta in May of 2003. This successful model for both reassuring consumers and reopening export markets will be followed with the objective of quickly resuming normal trading patterns.

     The USDA delegation in Mexico City today was sent at the direction of Agriculture Secretary Ann M. Veneman, as part of USDA’s ongoing efforts to keep all trading partners informed of the status of the BSE investigation and the additional safeguards taken to bolster the U.S. protection measures against BSE.

     For more information please visit www.usda.gov.

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