September 27, 2005

Japan food safety panel delays decision on resuming beef imports

Japan's food safety agency has not yet reached a decision Monday on whether Japan should lift its 20-month ban on beef imports from the United States.

Japan banned American beef imports after the first case of mad cow was found in the US on December 2003. Washington is pushing for Japan to resume beef trade soon but Tokyo has stressed that it must first follow bureaucratic procedures.

A chief of the panel said that there is no rush to make a decision soon, the reason being the differences in opinion among members of the panel. No timetable for the final decision has been set.

Mad cow disease, or BSE, is known to spread through the feeding of infected cattle remains of other cattle.

According to an unofficial draft, the experts have agreed that the safety of American beef cannot be ensured under US safeguards alone and recommend restricting imports to meat from cattle 21 months and below. If imports are resumed, Japanese agricultural officials should also conduct inspections in the United States to ensure the quality of exports to Japan, it said.

The draft also said the risk of BSE infection in U.S. cattle is several times higher than that of homegrown cattle.

Before the ban, Japan was the most lucrative market for American beef. Some US officials have threatened sanctions unless Tokyo resumes imports of beef from younger cows.