June 16, 2006

 

Japan to conduct inspection of meat plants in various countries

 

 

Japan would probably send inspectors to US beef export plants as the next step towards resuming beef exports, US Agriculture Secretary Mike Johanns said on Wednesday (Jun 14).

 

Meanwhile Japan announced it plans to conduct studies in countries exporting beef to Japan such as Australia, China and Mexico.

 

While there was no specific timeline for US meat inspections, Johanns said talks were actively going on.

 

Japan was the top customer for US beef exports until discovery of the first US case of mad cow disease in December 2003.

 

Various congressmen and senators have said Japan should end the ban on US beef before Japanese prime minister Koizumi reaches Washington on Jun 29.

 

In Tokyo, a Health Ministry official said Japan wanted to inspect US plants and would allow shipments from plants that meet export standards.

 

Under a previous agreement, Japan would accept beef from cattle aged 20 months or less provided brains, spinal columns and nervous tissue are removed.

 

The 20-month requirement means that the US would never see the kind of volume exported before the beef ban, said John Stewart, head of meatpacker Creekstone Farms Premium Beef LLC, adding that inspections would probably take place in July.

 

Meanwhile the Japanese government said it would examine the safety of beef imported from Australia, Mexico, China and other countries supposedly free from mad cow disease.

 

The Cabinet Office's Food Safety Commission would conduct studies on mad cow disease infection risks in these countries by checking measures taken for removing at-risk materials and the way records are kept, the officials said.

 

Based on the findings, beef exports from countries who do not meet safety requirements may be banned, officials said.

 

In principle, Japan accepts beef imports from nations free from mad cow disease.

 

Close to 90 percent of beef exports to Japan currently comes from Australia.

 

The World Organization for Animal Health (OIE) classifies Australia and New Zealand as the world's safest countries from mad cow.

 

While it is not known whether China has any mad cow cases due to lack of information, the EU said that it is possible mad cow cases have cropped up in Mexico.