After more than three years of being banned, the selling of US beef to importers, especially to Japan and Russia, is finally expected to push through before this year ends.  US beef, however, has to be proven mad cow disease-free so that importers can make sure of its quality.

Mad cow disease is a deadly illness in cow's brain, which is feared to be contagious to people especially when the infected meat is eaten. This was also the reason that prompted different importers from Asian and European countries to ban the importation of beef from the US since the last month of 2003. The said epidemic has caused the US beef industry to export only 5 percent of its meat products.
    
United States Meat Export Federation (USMEF) is positive that the selling of beef to countries in Asia and Europe can increase up to more than twice the current sales. It also announced that inspectors from Japan and Russia will visit the country soon to conduct examinations on the production of beef. It can be noted that Japan started importing beef as early as 2006, but was under heavy restrictions. In spite of the strict provisions, Japan has imported not less than 38 million pounds of beef and processed-product beef in this year's first quarter, while Mexican importers bought more than 130 million pounds.

In 2006, Russia acceded to import beef from the US in accordance with its membership agreement with the World Trade Organization. Before the ban was implemented, Russia was one of the biggest importers of US beef products amounting to 60,000 to 70,000 metric tons every year.

The World Organization for Animal Health (OIE) recently elevated the safety level of beef in the US. USMEF said that this ruling can help boost US beef exportation in the coming months, provided that importers will open their markets as they develop new trade rules.

The US beef industry is hoping that importers and other trade allies will lift the ban on its beef products, as well as change other restrictions in the market. The OIE's upgrade for US beef quality prompted South Korea, one of the country's major beef importers, to lessen its strict provisions. At present, the said country is importing boneless beef only. However, due to the recent changes in the US beef industry, a South Korean farm official said that they are not eliminating the possibility of accepting more beef product types from the US.