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China re-opening celebrated with Nebraska prime rib

U.S. Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue, Ambassador Terry Branstad and others marked the return of U.S. beef to China by serving Nebraska prime rib in a Beijing ceremony Friday.  It’s been since late 2003, when a single case of BSE was discovered in a Washington cow, that any U.S. beef has been allowed into China.  The first shipment arrived in China on June 19.

So far, producers and processors in Nebraska, Kansas, and most recently, Iowa are eligible to ship beef to China.  Cattle have to meet USDA Export Verification Program requirements.  Among the requirements are that cattle are less than 30 months old and that they’re traceable to their birth farm or to the port of entry if they come from Canada or Mexico.

China’s beef imports have ballooned in recent years, increasing from $275 million in 2012 to $2.5 billion in 2016.