January 18, 2006

Japan rejects US plea to relax conditions for imports

An appeal by the US to soften one of two conditions imposed by Japan to allow US beef imports has been turned down by its farm minister Shoichi Nakagawa.

The US had requested that Japan allow imports of beef from cattle aged up to 30 months instead of the current 20 months.

The 20-month age concern was set to ensure that imported beef are free from mad cow disease. The second condition is that US meat processors remove brain, spinal cords and other at-risk materials which could transmit the disease to consumers.