Nebraska senators Ben Nelson and Mike Johanns has expressed disappointment with Taiwan  failure to properly implement a planned expansion of the US-Taiwan beef trade. 

Nelson has sent a letter to the Representative of Taiwan to the U.S., Jason Yuan, expressing disappointment with Taiwan’s action. According to Nelson, Taiwan’s legislative body, the Legislative Yuan, voted this week to bar certain U.S. beef products in an apparent breach,Nelson said, of a US-Taiwan beef import protocol reached earlier this fall. 

 “I am greatly concerned by Taiwan’s commitment to fair trade of U.S. beef,” said Senator Nelson in the letter. “These actions by your government will impair Taiwan’s credibility and reputation as a reliable trading partner.”

 A strong advocate for the ending of Taiwan’s trade restrictions on U.S. beef, Nelson met with Yuan in both July and September of 2009 to discuss opening up more of Taiwan’s market to Nebraska beef producers.  The decision, he said, of the Taiwanese Legislative Yuan will restrict imports of ground beef and other ground beef products that had been allowed in the protocol.

Johanns said the ban partially reverses an agreement negotiated by the U.S. and Taiwan only two months ago.

“This is an unfortunate and unnecessary setback in our relations with Taiwan,” he said. ”I am disappointed that they are reversing their position on an agreement we just signed and I will work with the Obama Administration to resolve this important issue for Nebraska and other beef-producing states.”

 Johanns also sent a letter to Taiwanese officials urging them “to rely on science-based international standards when making trade decisions … and to communicate [Senator Johanns'] concerns to the appropriate representatives in [Taiwan's legislature].”

Johanns’ letter also highlighted how the U.S. government “has spent years developing and implementing a multilayered system of interlocking safeguards to provide for the safety of American beef.”

Lastly, Johanns wrote, any such action “would hinder years of effort to reach agreement to further open markets.”