TAMA, Iowa — Beef processor Iowa Premium has received USDA approval to export beef to China, becoming one of the first U.S. meatpackers to gain such approval.

 

“We are excited to supply Chinese consumers with consistent, high-quality, family farm-raised Black Angus beef products,” said Jeffrey Johnson, CEO. “Iowa Premium believes China will be an excellent export partner and we look forward to building a long, sustainable relationship.

“Our beef is in demand, and we have had an extraordinary amount of inquiries from interested Chinese import companies. We are confident these valuable customers will appreciate the quality and consistency of Iowa Premium’s products.”

The Tama-based company’s June 29 announcement came just weeks after China officially opened its market to American beef following a 14-year ban, which the Communist country’s officials imposed in 2003 over “mad cow disease” concerns – more formally called bovine spongiform encephalopathy, or BSE.

According to the USDA, beef exports to China must meet requirements under the Export Verification (EV) Program, which the department’s Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) reviews, and approves companies as eligible suppliers of meat and meat.

The USDA’s EV outlines the specified product requirements for individual countries:

•Beef and beef products must be derived from cattle that were born, raised and slaughtered in the United States, cattle that were imported from Canada or Mexico and subsequently raised and slaughtered in the U.S. or cattle that were imported from Canada or Mexico for direct slaughter 

 

•Cattle must be traceable to the U.S. birth farm using a unique identifier, or if imported, to the first place of residence or port of entry

•Beef and beef products must be derived from cattle less than 30 months of age

•Chilled or frozen bone-in and deboned beef products are eligible for shipment – a complete listing is available in the FSIS Export Library

•Carcasses, beef and beef products must be uniquely identified and controlled up until the time of shipment Johnson said Iowa Premium maintains strict cattle procurement guidelines, with animals sourced only from family farmer-feeders in Iowa and neighboring Midwest states.

“Strategically located in the heart of high-quality cattle country, we specialize in USDA Choice and USDA Prime grade beef, as well as the Certified Angus Beef brand,” a company statement read. “We offer a full-line of boxed beef products and byproducts for domestic and international customers. Our newly-renovated 200,000 square-foot state-of-the-art facility meets the highest standards for food safety, quality assurance and sustainability.”

Johnson added all company cattle are under 30 months of age and have been born, raised and finished in the United States. “We have great partners in our local cattle feeders, who maintain the necessary records for compliance with polices set forth by China. In turn, our team at Iowa Premium is judiciously auditing the required food safety and traceability protocols.”

According to U.S. beef industry officials, markets in China, Hong Kong and Vietnam could total an estimated $7 billion. Last year, countries such as Brazil, Uruguay, Australia, New Zealand and Argentina purchased the lion’s share of China’s beef.

On June 30, the National Cattlemen’s Beef Assoc. (NCBA) helped formally welcome the first shipments of American-produced beef into China. NCBA President Craig Uden joined USDA Secretary Sonny Perdue, U.S. Ambassador to China Terry Branstad and Chinese officials at a ceremony in China’s capital of Beijing, participating in a joint ceremonial “Cutting of the Prime Rib.”

“Restoring U.S. beef access to China has been a top priority for many years, and we are excited to have the opportunity to provide Chinese consumers with safe, tender, and delicious U.S. beef once again,” Uden said.

A longtime supporter of international trade and greater access to foreign markets, the NCBA has worked since 2003 to help restore access to China’s more than 1.3 billion consumers for America’s cattle and beef producers. Uden said those efforts finally paid off when the Trump administration announced U.S. and Chinese negotiators had recently reached an agreement on the final protocols that would break the nearly 14-year moratorium on American beef products.

“Regaining access to the world’s largest market is a huge step in the right direction,” he said. “But we still have a lot of work to do, like negotiating a bilateral trade agreement with Japan that puts us on even ground with our competitors, and ensuring that the renegotiation ofNAFTA doesn’t mess up the great deal  we’ve had with our consumers in Canada and Mexico for years.”