July 18, 2005

Japan might delay resuming US beef imports following study
 

Japan might delay a decision to resume US beef imports following a study by the country's Food Safety Commission.

The study showed that nearly half of Japan's 20 mad-cow cases would have passed unnoticed under US testing methods, according to the Japanese government.

This was because Japan tested all cows before slaughter while the US tested only those that showed signs of the disease.

In response, the government has called the US for more details on the second confirmed case of mad-cow disease there.