WASHINGTON, Jan. 25, 2006 - U.S. Agriculture Secretary Mike Johanns today announced that Taiwan will resume trade in U.S. boneless beef from animals under 30 months of age.

"I'm extremely pleased with Taiwan's resumption of trade in U.S. beef," said Johanns. "This advances our goal to resume normal beef trade throughout the world that follows science-based-based international guidelines in food and animal safety."

Taiwan's announcement closely follows the recent reopening of several other major Asian markets to U.S. beef in Hong Kong, Japan and Korea.

In 2003, the United States exported more than $76 million worth of beef to Taiwan, with boneless beef products accounting for $56 million. Taiwan's market is now open to more than 90 percent of total U.S. ruminant and ruminant products whose value reached $325 million in 2003. After the discovery of a BSE-infected cow in the United States, $4.8 billion worth of U.S. beef and beef product exports were banned. Markets accounting for $3.8 billion have since been recovered.

Taiwan reopened its market to U.S. beef in April 2005, but closed it again in June following the confirmation of a second U.S. case of Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE).