The emergence of Bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) as a major food safety issue sets the situation for a firm level opportunity. The Japanese government banned imports of cattle and beef from the U.S. when it established the first cases of BSE there and refused to lift barriers because the Japanese viewed U.S. efforts to eliminate the BSE threat as inadequate. Creekstone Farms of Kentucky saw an opportunity in this situation as the Japanese and Korean governments agreed to imports of its beef if guaranteed BSE-free. The USDA has to decide whether to allow Creekstone to do this testing so that it can export its beef. The decision is difficult because many stakeholders have opposing views.