Micausa

MICA History
The Meat Importers' Council, Inc. ("MIC") was formed in 1962 as a non-profit national trade
association of members engaging in the purchase, importation, handling and sale of imported
meat, mainly fresh frozen beef, in the United States.
The first meeting of an Executive Committee of the MIC was held on June 19, 1962 in New York
City. Those present were:

Sydney Washer, John Thallon & Co., Inc.
John Ward The Tupman Thurlow Co., Inc.
Eli Jacobson Chicago Dressed Beef Company
Frank Arma Commodity Service Corporation
David Magaziner A. J. Mills & Co., Inc.
Arthur Hartog Thomas Borthwick & Sons (USA) Ltd.
Kenneth Roberson International Packers Ltd.
George Pattison Canada Packers, Inc
Si Silverman S & W Imports, Inc.

Mr. Ray Schlotterer was appointed Secretary and he was requested to set up By-laws and arrange
to incorporate in the State of New York. Mr. Schlotterer was also requested to send out
membership applications with a set initiation fee of $100.

The principal goals as stated in the By-laws are: The Corporation is a voluntary organization
which operates without pecuniary profit to itself or any member. The purposes of the
Corporation, as stated in its certificate of incorporation, and only to the extent that said purposes
are lawful, are as follows:

To foster the trade, commerce and interests of importers and exporters of fresh and/or frozen
and/or cured and/or cooked and/or canned meats; to seek and obtain relief from unlawful or
burdensome exactions, statues and regulations; to work with importers' and exporters'
associations, domestic or foreign governmental bodies and others toward solutions to industry
problems; to procure uniformity and certainty in customs and usages of the meat trade; to
distribute accurate information to its members and to the public; to settle differences and
promote free intercourse between its members and those with whom they deal.

Mr. George Pattison was elected as the first Treasurer in 1962. In the intervening years other
Treasurers were Messrs. Bernard Bowman (Bernard Bowman Corporation), Moritz Velleman
(Ovimpex, Inc.), Edward Henderson (A. J. Mills & Co., Inc.), George McNeely (Ballagh &
Thrall, Inc.), Richard Atkinson (A.S.C.-Meyners Company), and currently Stuart Leifer (Pierce
Trading Corporation).

The first Annual Meeting of MIC was held on September 23, 1962 at The Palmer House in

Chicago, Illinois during the American Meat Institute Annual Convention, a pattern that has been
followed ever since. The Secretary reported that MIC's membership comprised twenty-three
companies. While MICA's membership has grown over the years into the hundreds, very few of
the original twenty-three remain today.

The 1962 Annual Meeting agenda discussion included:

Shipping.

Inspection of mutton and related questions.

The standardization of markings.

A future meeting between representatives of the Australian and New Zealand Meat Boards
and representatives of U.S. livestock interest.

Back in 1962 Americans were generally unaware that it was the importation of lean fresh frozen
boneless beef that greatly increased their ability to enjoy, at affordable prices, hamburgers,
franks, luncheon meats and many processed convenience foods. Americans on the go, those with
low incomes and retired on fixed incomes, traditionally find these processed meat items to be a
prime source of nutritious, low-cost, enjoyable food.

The first meeting of the Board of Directors was held on April 14, 1964 in New York City. The
Secretary presented a copy of the Certificate of Incorporation of the Corporation, which was filed
in the office of the Secretary of State of New York in March of 1964, and the Constitution and
By-laws of the Corporation, subscribed by all of the charter members of the Association, were
unanimously approved by the Directors.

In 1969 the name of the Corporation was amended to the Meat Importers Council of America,
Inc. ("MICA").
Since the Chairmanship of Sydney Washer from 1962 to 1966, the following have served as
Chairmen of the MICA:

Kenneth Roberson, International Packers Ltd., from 1966 to 1969

John Ward, The Tupman Thurlow Co., Inc., from 1969 to 1973

William O'Reilly, John Thallon & Co., Inc., from 1973 to 1977

Al Leifer, Pierce Trading Corporation, from 1977 to 1982

Graeme Goodsir, Canada Packers, Inc., from 1982 to 1984

George McNeely, Ballagh & Thrall, Inc., from 1984 to 1986

Richard Atkinson, A.S.C. Meat Imports, Inc., from 1986 to 1988

Al Leifer, Pierce Trading Corporation, second term from 1988 to 1990

David Jackson, The Tupman Thurlow Co., Inc., from 1990 to 1991

Edgar Staren, Starmill, Inc., from 1991 to 1993

Joel Berg, JBJ Trading Corporation, from 1993 to 1996

Peter Maloney, Louis Dreyfus Corporation, from 1996 to 1998

Richard Atkinson, A.S.C.-Meyners Company, second term from 1998 to present

In the early 1960's, the Meat Importers Council engaged the law firm of Barnes, Richardson &
Colburn of New York City as their Legal Counsel. Messrs. Joseph Bradley Colburn, James H.
Lundquist and Rufus E. Jarman, Jr. have been in charge of the MICA account at Barnes,
Richardson & Colburn over the years.
Additionally, Mr. Jarman served as Secretary for several years beginning in 1966, following
Arthur Hartog. Other MICA Secretaries have been Richard King, Kenneth Roberson, and
William Morrison. Mr. Morrison joined in 1979 to fill the newly created position of Executive
Director (which includes the Secretary's function) and has occupied that position to date.
Over the years, Barnes, Richardson & Colburn has been instrumental in assisting MICA's efforts
in dealing with the U.S. Congress, U.S. Department of Agriculture, U.S. Customs Service, Office
of the U.S. Trade Representative, and U.S. International Trade Commission on meat imports, and
specifically on quota matters, and handling cases challenging laws restricting the free sale of
imported meats, canned or fresh frozen, and various meat products.
Since its inception, MICA has also coordinated with groups representing foreign suppliers,
initially mainly Australia, New Zealand and Ireland, and subsequently the Central American
supplying countries. In recent years, as South American countries have started to be approved (so
far Uruguay and Argentina), MICA has expanded its global coordinating efforts to include such
new suppliers.
Exporters (see Country Profiles) of wholesome frozen boneless meats to the U.S. are located in
Argentina, Australia, Belize, Canada, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Finland,
Guatemala, Honduras, Israel, Japan, Mexico, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Uruguay, Sweden and the
European Union. Australia, New Zealand and Canada are the largest suppliers.
In 1968 the firm of John J. Madigan Associates was engaged as Economic Advisor to the
Council. In 1970, after Mr. Madigan's retirement, the firm was run by George L. Abraham and
then changed its name to Abraham & Associates, Inc.
Abraham & Associates, Inc. continued to provide economic service to the Council until the
retirement of George L. Abraham in 1992. Since then, Dr. Richard Andersen of Sparks
Companies Inc. in Memphis, Tennessee has been Economic Advisor to MICA. Dr. Andersen
regularly conducts Economic Workshop Sessions at MICA's meetings throughout the year and
makes reports at these meetings as well in periodic Newsletters.
In 1973, MICA's Board and membership approved the Guidelines for the Settlement of Fat
Claims. These Guidelines, amended on several occasions, are recommended conditions of trade
between buyer and seller relating to imported meat sold on a guaranteed chemical lean basis,
where no other understanding exists. They have been well received in the trade. In recent years,
MICA and Australian suppliers have devoted much effort to a modified or alternative system, the
Code of Practice for the Settlement of Fat Claims on Meat Imported into the U.S.A. "COP" has
not, however, been adopted and its future is unclear as of this writing.
As of 1999 MICA's members total over 200 business organizations, and they account for the
great majority of U.S. imports of fresh frozen beef covered by tariff rate quota (TRQ) and other
meat products. In addition to importers, members of the MICA include exporters, users,
steamship companies, port authorities, warehousemen, truckers, laboratories, customs brokers and
others who derive a benefit from the import trade
For its first eighteen years, MICA's office was located in New York City. In 1979 its office
moved to Arlington, Virginia, adjacent to the nation's capitol for easier access to branches of
government affecting MICA's members. MICA is staff by a full-time Executive Director who
reports to its Chairman and Board of Directors.
In addition to an annual meeting held in the fall of each year during the American Meat Institute's
Annual Convention, MICA conducts meetings throughout the country during the year at Gulf
Coast and West Coast locations. The West Coast Meetings are held in conjunction with the
National Meat Association's Annual Convention.
For years MICA's importer members operated under the Meat Import Act of 1979 and 1964
(Public Law 88-482) which provided for the imposition of meat controls on certain fresh, chilled
and frozen beef, veal, mutton and goat meat products.
Like its predecessor, the 1979 law mandated quantitative import controls if imports were
expected to exceed 110 percent of the formula quantity. The 1979 Act added a so-called
"countercyclical" approach to computing the allowable import level. The net effect of the 1964
and 1979 laws was to curtail the supply of imported lean beef in spite of an ever-increasing need
for this product. To this day, the United States does not produce lean, boneless manufacturing
type beef in sufficient quantity to satisfy demand.
In an effort to combat this legislation, MICA's Board has authorized various publications and
position papers over the years to seek freer trade in imported meat that had the specific purpose of
explaining to members of the U.S. Congress and others why the curtailing of meat imports would
be a blow to the public. In the 1960's and 1970's these included:
? The Case Against Restriction on Meat Imports
? The Facts: About Imported Lean Beef
From its inception, MICA has always opposed all restrictions and quota limitations. It went on
record with the 93rd Congress to repeal the then present law applicable to imported meats, P.L.
88-482. At the Chicago Annual Meeting that year, Chairman John Ward reported that: "Through
the efforts of this Council we were able to obtain the suspension of the meat quotas for the year
1973 by a Presidential Proclamation, and as a result roughly 40% more meat will be imported this
year."
For more than thirty years members of MICA were burdened with trade barriers and have had to
take an active role in private sector work with U.S. officials engaged in bilateral and multilateral
trade negotiations dealing with tariff and non-tariff restraints on imported meats.
Through the Uruguay Round of GATT negotiations in the 1990's, MICA promulgated its
opposition to continued quota and tariffs on imported meat products for the following reasons:
??????? Elimination of the quota scheme would benefit U.S. meat processors and cattlemen,
while duty free treatment will help consumers.
? Continuation of meat import restrictions would conflict with U.S. beef industry trade
policies and U.S. multilateral trade negotiating commitments.
? Elimination of the quota scheme would benefit U.S. consumers, who bear most of the
costs of the current system of trade distorting protection. Because meat and meat-food
product markets in America are very diverse and complex, with large numbers of importers,
purveyors and purchasers competing for available supplies twelve months of the year, savings
based on duty-free and quota free imports would be passed on to U.S. consumers.
With the advent of 1995, the imported meat industry saw fundamental changes in that Public Law
88-482 and the Meat Import Act of 1979 were officially repealed, replaced by a tariff rate quota
allowing an annual base amount of 697,000 metric tons of "in-quota" beef.
The U.S. tariff rate quota allows Australia to enter 378,214 MT, New Zealand 213,402 MT, All
Other 64,805 MT. Uruguay and Argentina are guaranteed 20,000 metric tons each, and Japan
200 MT. Under NAFTA both Canada and Mexico are exempt from the tariff rate quota. A new
ad valorem duty to apply above the base amount started at the 31% level and is now reduced
27.3%.
Imports of frozen boneless beef account for around 7 percent of total U.S. consumption of beef
products and, accordingly, pose no competitive threat to U.S. cattlemen, farmers, or meat
processors.
While the Uruguay Round changes made significant progress towards freer trade, a great deal still
remains to be done. Since implementation, world-wide demand has not been strong and
significant TRQ allocation has gone unused. A high MICA priority has been to establish a
procedure for "temporary" TRQ reallocation, where appropriate under market conditions at any
given time.
Other significant priorities in recent years have included:
?? To seek better communication with the domestic producing industry, both directly and
through the Cattlemen's Beef Board in implementation of the "check-off" program.

? Cooperating with Government and foreign supplier representatives to handle food safety
concerns, which are of increasing importance to all segments of the meat and food industries.

? Seeking to counter old and new forms of domestic protectionism which continues to spring
up notwithstanding considerable advances in the level of knowledge about imported meat and
its important positive roll in the U.S. economy. In recent years, for example, there have been
repeated efforts by certain domestic groups to pass new country of origin laws at the Federal
level - laws which would be harmful for all concerned.

For many reasons, including the fact that these imports come largely from Australia, New
Zealand, Latin America and other areas where seasons are the reverse of those in North America,
imported manufacturing meat complements domestic production, serving each year to level-out
seasonal variations in the supplies available for U.S. production. Thus, imported meats not only
fill out an insufficient overall U.S. supply, but also tend to stabilize supply conditions and reduce
the need for costly freezer storage of domestic production.

It is MICA's belief that imported frozen boneless meat, predominately beef, forms an essential
part of the historic total U.S. supply of meat. MICA continues to seek the end of all restrictions
in order to benefit U.S. consumers, the economy and, of course, its friends and members.