Baucus announces advances in beef trade agreements

Montana's U. S. Sen. Max Baucus announced Wednesday two advances in exporting U. S. beef, advances the senator said could bring major benefits to Montana ranchers and businesses.

Baucus said in a press release that the U. S. Department of Agriculture has made a commitment to use $1 million in 2011 to promote U. S. beef sales in South Korea, and that U. S. Trade Representative Ron Kirk said Wednesday that President Barack Obama's newsroom is ready to begin technical discussions on implementing a free trade agreement with Columbia.

Baucus said Kirk also made a commitment to continue to work to eliminate South Korean limitations on U. S. beef after the trade agreement is implemented.

Republicans in Congress have said they would oppose efforts by Obama's administration to expand trade in South Korea unless agreements also were reached with Columbia and Panama. An agreement was reached with Panama last month.

The Senate Finance Committee, which Baucus chairs, has jurisdiction over international trade, giving Baucus a powerful voice in the discussions.

Baucus has been a vocal advocate of increasing beef trade in Korea, which has been restricted since discoveries of bovine spongiform encephalopathy, or mad cow disease, in U. S. beef early last decade. He expressed disappointment last fall when negotiations between the United States and South Korea failed to reach an agreement on expanding beef exports to South Korea.

Baucus has been pressing to expand exports to the country — once one of the highest importers of U. S. beef — as negotiations continued this year.

In his release, he said the expanded promotion and commitment to work to expand South Korea's acceptance of U. S. beef is an important first step.

"Today's announcement, " Baucus said, "is proof that the good, old-fashioned Montana values of hard work and perseverance pay off. "

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Information from The Associated Press was used in this story.