October 23, 2006

Japan to grant customs clearance for US beef in its warehouses

Japan would soon grant customs clearance for some 900 tonnes of US beef that has been stored in bonded warehouses since January, government sources said Saturday (Oct 21).

The shipment was sent after Japan briefly eased a ban on US beef in December last year. Soon after the shipments arrived, a banned material was found in one of the shipments and the ban was re-imposed while the rest of the shipments already there were sent to warehouses.

Approval would be given for the stored beef if no problem is found in the inspections, the sources said.

Still, there were concerns that after nine months in storage, the value of that beef would have fallen significantly.

Japan's imports of US beef have reached about 2,500 tonnes since the lifting of the second ban.