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Japan Suspends Nebraska Plant

Mike

Well-known member
Japan to suspend beef imports from Nebraska plant



Friday, February 16, 2007 6:37 AM CST

TOKYO - Japan will suspend beef imports from a Nebraska processing plant after finding meat in a shipment that may violate a regulation imposed over mad cow concerns, the government said Friday.

The Ministries of Health and Agriculture said inspectors at the port of Yokohama found two boxes of rib meat in a shipment sent by U.S. agricultural giant Tyson Food Inc. from its plant in Lexington, Nebraska, that were not recorded in the accompanying shipping documents.

The shipment's importer could not confirm that the meat met a government requirement that all beef destined for Japan be from animals age 20 months or younger, the ministries said in a statement. Young animals are believed less likely to be infected with mad cow disease, the common name for bovine spongiform encephalopathy.

U.S. officials have told Japan the boxes were erroneously included in the shipment, the statement said.

It said the ministries decided to suspend shipments from the processing plant until Japan gets more information from U.S. authorities and the exporter.


No banned materials have been found in the shipment, which consisted of about nine tons of frozen beef, the statement said.

The U.S. Embassy said the Department of Agriculture was working to verify details about the shipment, and planned to report its findings to Japan as soon as the information is collected.

Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe told reporters Friday that the suspension was necessary to ensure food safety.

"We need to investigate further," Abe said.

Eating meat contaminated with mad cow disease is linked to human variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease, a rare but deadly nerve disorder.

A service of the Associated Press(AP)
 

Mike

Well-known member
Update: Tyson

CHICAGO, Feb 16 (Reuters) - A shipment of beef to Japan from a Tyson Foods Inc. (TSN.N: Quote, Profile , Research) meat plant contained two boxes of beef from cattle that exceeded Japan's age limit of 20 months or younger, Tyson said Friday.

"We are working through USDA to resolve concerns over the inadvertent shipment of two boxes of beef from our Lexington (Nebraska) plant that were not eligible for export to Japan," Gary Mickelson, Tyson's spokesman, stated in an e-mail.

The beef was from cattle under 30 months of age, Tyson said. The boxes, which had a total of 95 lbs of boneless short ribs, did not contain any materials considered a possible risk for bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE), commonly called mad cow disease, Tyson said.

Earlier on Friday, Japan said it will suspend imports from the Nebraska plant that had shipped the beef because the cargo did not include documents providing the age of the cattle.

Japan insists on beef from cattle 20 months of age or younger as a precaution against mad cow disease. Younger cattle are believed to have a lower risk of developing the disease.

Tyson said it will continue to ship beef to Japan from its other six U.S. beef plants.

Mad cow disease is a fatal brain disease in cattle and scientists believe humans can contract a similar fatal brain disease by eating nervous tissue and certain other parts from infected cattle.

The United States has had three cases of mad cow disease since December 2003.


© Reuters 2007. All Rights Reserved
 

PORKER

Well-known member
"We are working through USDA to resolve concerns over the inadvertent shipment of two boxes of beef from our Lexington (Nebraska) plant that were not eligible for export to Japan," Gary Mickelson, Tyson's spokesman, stated in an e-mail.

The beef was from cattle under 30 months of age, Tyson said. The boxes, which had a total of 95 lbs of boneless short ribs, did not contain any materials considered a possible risk for bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE), commonly called mad cow disease, Tyson said.

What? I thought that Japan said 20 Months,can they read the teeth or are their no records!
 

Mike

Well-known member
PORKER said:
"We are working through USDA to resolve concerns over the inadvertent shipment of two boxes of beef from our Lexington (Nebraska) plant that were not eligible for export to Japan," Gary Mickelson, Tyson's spokesman, stated in an e-mail.

The beef was from cattle under 30 months of age, Tyson said. The boxes, which had a total of 95 lbs of boneless short ribs, did not contain any materials considered a possible risk for bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE), commonly called mad cow disease, Tyson said.

What? I thought that Japan said 20 Months,can they read the teeth or are their no records!

I'm not 100% sure but I don't think the "dentition" deal went over very well with the Japs.

The USDA uses the "Beef Export Verification" (BEV) system for shipments to Japan.

Yes there would be records.
 

Econ101

Well-known member
Mike said:
PORKER said:
"We are working through USDA to resolve concerns over the inadvertent shipment of two boxes of beef from our Lexington (Nebraska) plant that were not eligible for export to Japan," Gary Mickelson, Tyson's spokesman, stated in an e-mail.

The beef was from cattle under 30 months of age, Tyson said. The boxes, which had a total of 95 lbs of boneless short ribs, did not contain any materials considered a possible risk for bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE), commonly called mad cow disease, Tyson said.

What? I thought that Japan said 20 Months,can they read the teeth or are their no records!

I'm not 100% sure but I don't think the "dentition" deal went over very well with the Japs.

The USDA uses the "Beef Export Verification" (BEV) system for shipments to Japan.

Yes there would be records.

They better not make the kind of mistakes Swift does.
 
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