September 14, 2004

Japan Says Latest Mad Cow Case Won't Affect BSE-Testing Review
 

A new case of mad cow disease in Japan will not affect a review of domestic cattle-testing procedures, said Chikara Sakaguchi, the nation's health minister.

"The latest finding has no direct impact on the review because the confirmed cow is very old,'' Sakaguchi said during a scheduled press conference in Tokyo.

Japan confirmed its 12th case of mad cow disease yesterday. Meat and organs from the five-year-old animal did not reach markets, and the carcass will be incinerated, the health ministry said in a statement on its Web site.

Japan, which requires testing of all cattle, is considering dropping the requirement for cows younger than 21 months. That would clear the way for resuming some U.S. beef imports if the same standard were applied in the U.S.

U.S. beef products have been barred from Japan since December, when mad cow disease, or bovine spongiform encephalopathy, was discovered in a cow in Washington state. The U.S. rejects Japan's demand for blanket testing, arguing current methods cannot reliably detect the disease in animals under 30 months. This group accounts for most of the 35 million cattle slaughtered annually in that country.

Japan's Food Safety Commission on Sept. 9 concluded testing is effective for cattle 21 months old and older. It left the decision on testing younger cattle to the health and agriculture ministries.

The U.S. sold Japan about $1.5 billion worth of U.S. beef in 2003, before the Dec. 23 disclosure of mad cow disease brought about a beef ban, the U.S. Meat Export Federation said.

The U.S. exports about $3.8 billion in beef a year. Mexico, the second-largest importer of U.S. beef, reopened most of its markets to U.S. imports in March.