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Japan to ease on inspections

Sandhusker

Well-known member
Japan will ease on inspections of U.S. meat plants



TOKYO (AP) - Japan will no longer check every American beef shipment after finding no safety problems at dozens of U.S. meatpacking facilities it inspected last month, the government said today.

The two countries are expected to hold talks as early as this month aimed at easing restrictions on U.S. beef imports, news reports said.

Japanese officials found no problems while inspecting 28 meatpacking plants in 14 U.S. states in May, the government said in a report released today.

According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Food Safety and Inspection Service, seven Nebraska plants are eligible suppliers of meat to Japan.

They are the Cargill plant in Schuyler, Greater Omaha Packing and Nebraska Beef in Omaha, Premium Protein Products in Hastings, the Swift plant in Grand Island and Tyson plants in Dakota City and Lexington.

The Japanese inspectors were making sure that the plants all complied with restrictions imposed by Japan because of mad cow disease fears.

Japan only allows imports of U.S. beef from cattle not more than 20 months old, because the disease has not been detected in meat from young cattle - although the U.S. has called for that restriction to be eased.

Japan's Agriculture Minister Norihiko Akagi likely will meet U.S. Agriculture Secretary Mike Johanns next week in Germany to discuss launching negotiations aimed at easing the restrictions, Kyodo News agency reported.

Agriculture Ministry official Toshio Katagai could not confirm that meeting would take place, saying nothing has been decided about bilateral talks.

Japan banned American beef imports in December 2003 after the first case of mad cow disease - or bovine spongiform encephalopathy - was found in the United States.

The ban was eased in December 2005, but tightened again the next month after prohibited spinal bones were found in a veal shipment.

Tokyo eased the restrictions again last July, but allowed only meat from cows 20 months old and younger to enter Japan. Japan also bans meat with certain bone or spinal material attached.

Japan said in May that it had no immediate plans to relax its restrictions on U.S. beef imports despite recent favorable rulings from the World Organization for Animal Health.
 
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