Montana Sens. Steve Daines, a Republican, and Jon Tester, a Democrat, led a group of 39 senators including Senate Agriculture Committee Chairman Pat Roberts, R-Kan., to urge President Donald Trump to raise the issue of U.S. beef access to Chinese markets when he meets with Chinese President Xi Jinping on April 6 in Florida at his Mar a Lago resort.

The Chinese have banned U.S. beef since the discovery of mad cow disease in the United States in 2003.

“Opening this market to U.S. producers would create substantial opportunities for ranchers across the country, as China has an import market in excess of $2.5 billion and is the second largest importer of beef in the world,” the senators wrote. “As 95 percent of the world’s consumers live outside of the U.S., expanding access for U.S. beef into China and elsewhere is critical for the long-term growth of the agricultural economy and communities across the U.S. The current environment of low commodity prices further emphasizes the significance of trade to U.S. ranchers and the beef industry overall.”