The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) recently announced that a new agreement has been made with Israel to lift the ban on U.S. beef imports for the first time since 2003. The Middle Eastern country will receive beef shipments from Nebraska’s WR Reserve plant in Hastings.

“Nebraska beef producers are the best in the world. This historic agreement with Israel is a testament to our producers’ tireless commitment to delivering safe, high-quality beef products to dinner tables around the globe,” said US Senator Deb Fischer (R-Neb.), in a statement regarding the announcement. “I was pleased to work with the USDA and the Israeli government to enable our state to supply the first American beef shipments to Israel in over a decade.”

Israel first banned beef imports from the United States in December 2003, due to a confirmed case of bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE), and the ban had remained ever since. The new trade agreement has created significant economic potential for beef producers. Israel imported beef products worth $405 million in 2014, with ninety-five percent of these imports originating in Latin America.

Dan Shapiro, U.S. Ambassador to Israel, first asked Senator Fischer to work with the USDA to bring Nebraska beef to Israel during her visit to Israel last fall. Shapiro was especially interested in serving Nebraska beef at the embassy’s Fourth of July celebration. Senator Fischer reached out to the USDA and joined officials from the Nebraska Department of Agriculture in a concerted effort for Nebraska to lead the charge and lift the ban on U.S. beef imports.

“Resuming U.S. beef exports to Israel has been a high priority for me since I arrived to Israel. Today marks a significant milestone in U.S.-Israel trade relations and is an outstanding example of the power of the U.S. government working collaboratively with the private sector to achieve our foreign economic policy objectives. This agreement gives Israeli consumers access to the world’s highest quality beef,” said Shapiro in a statement regarding the announcement. “At the same time, it creates and supports jobs in the great state of Nebraska. Later this year, we hope to serve USDA-certified beef at our July 4th celebrations, for the first time in nearly 13 years.”