July 5, 2004

Japan Government Downplays Seriousness Of US Mad Cow Risk
 
The chairman of the Japanese government's Food Safety Commission on Friday played down the seriousness of the risk of mad cow disease in the U.S., the Kyodo news agency reported
 
"Deep down, I think the risk (of the disease) in the United States is hardly serious," Masaaki Terada said during a workshop on food safety where commission members exchanged views with some 200 consumers and other participants, the report said.
 
But Terada also said that as the U.S. government doesn't have enough data on the disease, also known as bovine spongiform encephalopathy, it is still difficult to scientifically assess the danger of the brain-wasting disease in the country, leading to Japan's ban on U.S. beef imports, the report said.
 
The commission is therefore collecting information to determine necessary safety measures against U.S. beef, Terada said, according to the report.
 
As for Japan, Terada said "sufficient data" have been accumulated through a variety of countermeasures taken since Japan's first mad cow disease case was found in September 2001, such as testing all cattle for the disease, Kyodo reported.
 
The workshop was held amid continuing talks between the Japanese and U.S. governments on whether Japan should reopen its market to U.S. beef, Kyodo reported.