December 1, 2004

 

 

Probable Mad Cow Case Discovered in Japan

 

A 20-month-old Holstein bull in Japan's northern island of Hokkaido is suspected to have mad cow disease, according to a local government official on Tuesday.

 

This development could hinder efforts to end a ban on US beef imports. If the case is confirmed, the bull would be the youngest since the brain-wasting disease -- formally known as bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) -- was first found in Japan in 2001. The government may therefore rethink its plan to exclude cattle aged 20 months or younger from its policy of blanket BSE testing.

 

Last month, Japan agreed to resume US beef imports from cattle aged 20 months or younger, in line with the planned BSE test policy.

 

Japan has suspended American beef imports since the first US case of mad cow disease was discovered in Washington state last December.

 

Before the ban, Japan was the top market for US beef, buying some $1.4 billion worth a year.

 

The final test results on the 20-month-old bull are expected by the end of this week, the local government official said.

 

The bull was born in Hokkaido on March 7, 2003, and was slaughtered on Monday, he said.

 

So far, Japan has confirmed 14 cases of mad cow disease, and the youngest case of BSE was in an animal aged 21 months.

 

Japan has been testing all cattle slaughtered for food for mad cow disease since October 2001, after its first case of BSE was discovered in the previous month.

 

The government introduced the system to restore consumer confidence in the safety of beef, as Japanese shunned beef for fear of catching the deadly disease. Humans can contract a variant of the brain-wasting disease by eating contaminated meat.

 

But the government plans to ease the blanket testing policy, based on a report compiled in September by Japan's Food Safety Commission.

 

In the report, the commission acknowledged that the youngest case of BSE found in Japan was in an animal aged 21 months, and that it was hard to detect the disease in younger animals using test methods now available.

 

Last month the government presented the new BSE test plan to the commission for approval. A decision from the commission is expected early next year.