October 13, 2004

Canada Seek Same Beef Trade Terms As US From Japan

Canadian farm minister Andy Mitchell urged Japan Tuesday to apply the same trade terms to Canadian beef as with US beef once Japan agrees on terms to resume US beef imports, according to Japanese officials.

Canadian Agriculture and Agri-Food Minister Mitchell made the request during his talks with Yoshinobu Shimamura, Japanese minister of agriculture, forestry and fisheries.

During the meeting, Shimamura told Mitchell that Japan will apply the same safety conditions to beef produced by any country, and will lift its import ban if Canadian safety measures are seen equivalent to Japanese measures.

As a prerequisite to dropping the ban, Japan has demanded that Canada test all slaughtered cattle for the disease or take measures capable of providing safety assurances equivalent to tests of all cattle.