November 7, 2012

Japan's health ministry decided on Tuesday (Nov.6) to ease controls on beef imports by raising the age limit of imported cattle to 30 months, which was previously set at 20 months to counter mad cow disease .

The Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare will make the relaxation effective possibly early next year after consulting with Canada, France, the Netherlands and the US over the management of cattle ages.

The move comes after the Cabinet Office's Food Safety Commission reported last month that effects of the relaxation to 30 months on human health are "ignorable."

Japan banned imports of US and Canadian beef in 2003 following the outbreak of mad cow disease, formally known as bovine spongiform encephalopathy, or BSE. While it lifted the blanket ban in December 2005, it has imposed conditions, including the 20-month-or-younger age limit.

The relaxation of controls on beef imports will allow more than 90% of US-produced beef to fulfil the new criteria, the ministry said.

It will also raise the age of cattle to be subjected to domestic beef examination to 31 months or older from the current 21 months or older from the next fiscal year starting in April after the ministry revises the ministerial ordinance.

In Japan, no BSE-infected cattle have been confirmed among those born in 2003 and later.