Washington, D.C. – In a bipartisan show of unity, 19 U.S. Senators, including Sens. Craig Thomas and Mike Enzi, both R-Wyo., cosponsored legislation that would impose tariffs on Japan for refusing to import American beef. Thomas and Enzi have been at the forefront of this debate since Japan decided to ban U.S. beef in 2003.

“Japan is dealing us a dead hand. For two years we have watched the Japanese drag their feet and we can’t let them continue to slam the door in our faces. My vision for international trade calls for a fair exchange of goods. However, in the case of exportation of our beef to Japan, there is clearly not equal footing,” Thomas said.

“Japan is a shrewd trading partner and that’s admirable, but when shrewdness turns to exploitation we have to stand up for our ranchers and put a stop to it,” Enzi said.

The bill would require the Secretary of the Treasury to impose tariffs on Japanese goods if Japan has not lifted its prohibition on importing U.S. beef by December 31, 2005. The tariffs against Japanese imports would amount to $3.14 billion annually, the estimated economic trade loss to the U.S. beef industry as a result of Japan’s U.S. beef ban.

Thomas and Enzi have also written a letter asking for the inclusion of language in the FY 2006 Agriculture Appropriations bill preventing the U.S. Department of Agriculture from using funds for developing and implementing a final rule to import beef from Japan. The letter said, “While the normalization of beef trade must be progressively pursued, responsible trading partners must treat each other fairly and justly. Our beef is the safest and highest quality in the world, and there is no science-based reason for the embargo to continue.”

Estimates indicate that the U.S. beef industry loses $100 million every month the Japanese border remains closed to U.S. beef. Since the first border closure in 2003 the U.S. beef industry has lost about $6 billion in income.