October 18, 2007

Japan suspends beef imports from Cargill's Kansas plant

Japan has slapped a temporary ban on beef imports from Cargill Inc.' plant in Dodge City, Kansas, as recent shipments from it included meat that may have been taken from cattle aged more than 20 months, Kyodo News reported Wednesday (October 17, 2007).

Japan bans US beef from cattle older than 20 months.

The ban, announced by Japan' agriculture and health ministries, is the fifth of its kind. It was imposed on Monday and will stay in force until Japan receives a detailed investigation report on the matter from the US.

According to the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, of 1,333 packages, of frozen beef leg from the Cargill plant, which arrived Sept. 20, some 225 packages, or about a fifth of the shipment, did not have USDA safety certificates, Kyodo said.

Japan limits US beef imports to those from cattle aged 20 months or less due to a US case of mad cow disease in December 2003.

Japan' import conditions also include the removal of brains, spinal cords and other specific risk materials that could cause the disease.

Although the packages did not include such risk materials, the absence of the safety certificate meant it was impossible to check whether it is from cattle clearing the age limit, the ministries said, according to Kyodo.

The importer of the packages, Japan Food Corp. based in Tokyo, told the farm ministry that the packages, which were destined for elsewhere, were mistakenly included in shipments to Japan.

The discovery may affect ongoing talks between the Japanese and US government on easing Japan's import restrictions, Kyodo said.