June 28, 2006

 

USDA: Japanese audit of US beef plants progressing well

 

 

The Japanese have completed audits of three of the 35 US beef plants hoping to ship beef to Japan in a process that the US Department of Agriculture is hoping will be the last step before trade resumes, USDA Secretary Mike Johanns said Tuesday (Jun 27).

 

Johanns told reporters that "every indication so far is that things are going just fine. It appears like we're moving along well through the audits."

 

The USDA has said previously it expects Japan to conclude the audits by Jul 21 and then begin allowing in US beef soon afterward.

 

Johanns said that if Japan is dissatisfied with any of the US plants being audited, the USDA will work with Japan and the plant to work out any problems. He stressed, though, that the US would not allow Japan to "pick and choose" which plants it will import from.

 

"We see our system as a whole system," Johanns said. "We really want to move this full process all at once."

 

Nevertheless, the USDA secretary did say that if the USDA finds a beef producer not fit to export to Japan in its own estimate, that plant will be excluded from trade.

 

It was in January that Japan stopped importing US beef because a shipment contained prohibited material. The trade halt came about a month after Japan had eased a two-year ban on US beef. That original ban was put on the US beef in response to the first discovery of bovine spongiform encephalopathy, or mad cow disease, in the US.

 

Johanns said he was satisfied with Japan's indications that it would not shut down trade again due to any future problems with a single beef shipment.

 

In a deal reached between the two countries last week, Japan agreed to the following language: "In the event that (US) establishments with non-compliances are identified, (Japan) and (the US) will consult closely on those non-compliances."

 

Johanns stressed to reporters that he is optimistic. "I think we're headed toward successful audits and markets re-opening."