U.S.-S. Korea FTA to Help Promote Beef Talks with Japan: Vilsack

Washington, March 8 (Jiji Press)--U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said Tuesday the country's free trade agreement with South Korea will give momentum to its beef trade negotiations with Japan and China.
The bilateral FTA will give Washington an opportunity to go back to Japan and China for "further conversations and discussions about reopening those markets," Vilsack told a telephone conference.
The U.S. government plans to submit documents on the bilateral pact to Congress shortly, aiming for ratification by July 1, he suggested. Under the FTA, South Korea's 40 pct tariffs on U.S. beef will be eliminated over the next 15 years, Vilsack noted.
Currently, Japan limits U.S. beef imports to meat taken from cows aged 20 months or younger on condition that risk parts associated with mad cow disease are removed.