Org Newsroom Menu Beef. Willey is NCBA vice president and a cattle producer from Cedar Rapids, Iowa. China is negotiating trade deals with many other countries that produce beef.
Increased exports are vital to the long- term viability of the cattle business.
Under the trade agreement, beef exports to China are expected to grow from the current 23,400 metric tons to more than 70,000 metric tons by 2005. The trade deal would lower tariffs on beef from 45 percent to 12 percent over five years. The agreement also would allow the U.S. beef industry to deal directly with Chinese businesses instead of going through government middlemen. U.S. cattle producers also called on the Chinese government to take steps to lay the foundation for increased U.S. beef trade so that action by the U.S. Congress will see an immediate impact. China already has recognized U.S. meat inspection as equal to its own so that any USDA-approved plant is eligible to sell beef to China.