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Senator monitoring Taiwan’s beef amendment

Senator Chuck Grassley says his office is monitoring an amendment in the Taiwanese legislature that would reinstate restrictions on US beef. It’s a proposed ban on all skull, brain, spinal cords, ground beef, offals and related products from the U.S. for a period of 10 years, starting in 2006. The Iowa Republican says this is highly politicized in Taiwan and runs counter to the big agreements Taiwanese officials signed with soybean and corn growers in Iowa and other states several months ago, “You know, these sort of showboat approaches where you have signing ceremonies for buying and then things coming out of the political world where they’re trying to make things more difficult for trade between our two countries just doesn’t add up.”

And, recently, Taiwan has been buying grains and oil seeds from other countries when it typically buys only from the U.S. Grassley says friction is not uncommon over ag trade issues between Taiwan and the U.S, “We’ve gotta be totally transparent if we’re gonna be friends.  Two nations are gonna be friends, and honest – particularly intellectually honest – with each other as we’re dealing.”

Grassley’s office says their concerns about Taiwanese ag trade with the U.S. are being handled by the US Trade Representative’s office. The second and third readings of the beef amendment are set to occur in the Taiwanese legislature in early January.

Senator Charles “Chuck” Grassley (R-IA)