April 20, 2007

Japan, US fail to resolve row on beef trade

Japan and the United States failed to settle their differences during discussions Thursday (April 19) over the possible softening of conditions set by Japan on US beef imports.

Japan is seeking to break the standoff before Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and US President George W. Bush' meeting at the US president's Maryland retreat Camp David on April 27.

Tokyo and Washington have been at odds over a US request that Japan relax conditions which the two countries had agreed to in December 2005 in ending a two-year-old ban on US beef imports due to mad cow disease. The conditions include limiting US beef to meat from cattle aged up to 20 months.

Japanese Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Minister Toshikatsu Matsuoka stressed that they need to inspect US meatpacking plants exporting to Japan to confirm whether the Americans are complying with the current regulations.

US Agriculture Secretary Mike Johanns reiterated the US position that Japan should soften the import conditions at an early date by accepting international standards.

Washington has been calling on Japan to ease the import conditions as early as May, when the World

Organization for Animal Health is expected to approve US beef shipments regardless of animals' age.

Japan banned US beef imports after the first mad cow disease case was discovered in the United States in December 2003 but was lifted in December 2005 under the conditions of including the age limit. US beef shipments were again restricted by Japan after US veal shipments were found to contain a part of a backbone, a risk material banned under the bilateral beef trade agreement.

The ban was again removed last July under the same conditions.