Vilsack indicated that the United States was amenable to incremental steps to revive the beef trade to address Japanese concerns, reports the New York Times. For instance, he said the United States would be willing to gradually raise the age limit on imports.
“It’s an effort on the part of the U.S. to convey a willingness to re-energize the dialogue about beef, to convey a sense of flexibility in how we approach the ultimate reopening of this market,” he said.