July 1, 2004

Japan May Relax Mad Cow Tests, Resumption Of US Beef Imports A Possibility

Japan may relax domestic testing procedures for mad cow disease, a government official said in Tokyo. This move might hasten resumption of beef imports from the U.S.

"Japan still requires the U.S. to assure the safety of beef before resuming imports,'' said Kenji Sakurai, a ministry of agriculture official involved in bilateral talks on the issue. "But we are reviewing domestic testing procedures, and depending on what we decide, requirements may change.''

Japanese authorities have insisted all 35 million cattle the U.S. slaughters each year be tested before imports can resume. Japan tests all domestic slaughtered cattle for mad cow disease.

During three days of talks in the U.S, Japan acknowledged that existing tests cannot detect mad cow disease in very young cows.

Japan, once the biggest importer of U.S. beef, barred imports after a cow slaughtered in Washington state last December was found to have mad cow disease.