January 8, 2004

US Crafts Plan To Salvage Japanese Confidence in Beef

The U.S. beef industry has come up a plan in which beef imported by Japan would be certified BSE free. The beef will either come from animals under 30-months-old or from older animals that test negative for the disease.

The sources, who asked not to be identified, cautioned that the idea is in its early stages and that a U.S. investigation of the lone case of mad cow disease must first be completed.

The sources also said that plants would dedicate specific times for slaughtering and processing beef destined to Japan.