October 28, 2005

US beef processors hope Japanese ban will be lifted soon

US beef processors hoped Japan would lift its ban on American beef as soon as possible. Vice president for international trade John Reddington, American Meat Institute, said Japan's food-safety panel would have a new meeting to discuss the safety of US beef on October 31.

Reddington added that the US beef industry would have difficulties providing sufficient supplies of under 20-month-old beef, even if Japan approved its imports. He also stated that US beef exporters faced tough competition from countries including Australia and Brazil, which have established their own trade with Japan following its mad cow disease ban on US beef two years ago.

Reddington said resuming beef trade in the Japanese market was key to opening other Asian markets. US President George Bush was expected to visit Japan and South Korea in November, with the reopening of markets to US beef high on the agenda for discussion. However, he said other markets in China have been harder to reopen as Chinese authorities have been trying to discuss other issues during beef negotiations.

Meanwhile, he urged other countries to adopt World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) guidelines for trade with countries affected by mad cow disease, adding that USDA and Canadian authorities have maintained the standards. The guidelines included allowing deboned beef from cattle under 30 months old from certified BSE-free herds, and removal of all specified risk material.