Iowa Governor Terry Branstad says he’s thrilled China has taken additional steps to lift its embargo against U.S. beef.

 

The embargo was imposed in 2003 after a Mad Cow case.  China actually agreed to lift the ban last September, but it wasn’t until last week that the reopening was finalized. Branstad expects U.S. beef imports to hit China in mid-July.

 

Sometime this week, Branstad is likely to be confirmed by the U.S. Senate to serve as U.S. ambassador to China. In the past four years, Chinese per capita consumption of beef has grown 33 percent.