| FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE | CONTACT: Ron Zellar |
| October 12, 2007 | (406) 444-3144 |
Japan Trade Mission to Promote Beef
HELENA, Mont. — A trade delegation led by the Montana Department of Agriculture will tour Japan on October 16-24, 2007, to promote U.S. beef and to learn more about the nation's meat safety inspection process.
Lieutenant Governor John Bohlinger, Miss Rodeo Montana Megan Hardy and state Sen. Greg Barkus, R-Kalispell, will be on hand October 21 when the group hosts a booth at the Country Gold international country music festival at Kumamoto, Japan.
"Our goals for the trip are to promote Montana and U.S. beef as safe and healthful, and to regain the trust of Japanese consumers regarding beef from the United States," said Joel A. Clairmont, deputy director of the Montana Department of Agriculture. A two-year ban on imports of U.S. beef to Japan was imposed in 2003 after a Holstein cow born in Canada tested positive for BSE in Washington state. Before the ban, Japan was the top importer of U.S. beef, buying 240,000 tons valued at $1.4 billion in 2003.
Assisting with the promotional effort are the Montana Department of Commerce, the Meat Export Federation and Montana's overseas trade offices.
In addition to Clairmont and Hardy, other participants on the promotional tour are: Linda Nielson, a director of the Montana Board of Livestock; beef producers Mike O'Hara of Fort Benton and Mike McGinley of Dillon; Shirley Ball, president of Ethanol Producers and Consumers; Kristi Pettis, associate ag director of Northern Broadcasting; and Marty Earnheart, meat and livestock marketing officer at the Montana Department of Agriculture.
Other events while in Kumamoto Prefecture, or state, include a briefing by the Public Health Emergencies Management Division and a meeting with Kumamoto Governor Yoshiko Shiotani.
