"Expanding our market for US beef exports to Chile is an important advance," US Trade Representative Ron Kirk said, noting US beef and beef product exports to Chile totalled $6.2 million in 2010. The United States exported $4 billion of beef and beef products worldwide last year, up 32 percent from 2009, officials said. Mad cow disease had slowed US beef exports in recent years. Last year's beef export figure returned the United States to beef trade figures preceding 2004, officials said. Mad cow disease was discovered in December 2003 in a cow that had been exported from Canada to the US state of Washington. Since then, the United States has tried to regain market access for US beef products. The Chile announcement follows months of bilateral meetings between both governments. Kirk was with Obama this week Chile, where they met with Chilean leaders and discussed trade issues.

"These negotiations were based on a mutual respect for international, science-based standards, and (the United States) will continue to work with other nations to open their markets to US beef based on the same, internationally accepted principles," US Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said in the statement. Kirk has said recently that the administration is on track to reach Obama's goal to double US exports by the end of 2014.