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Japan to take Beef- In ??? Months

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Anonymous

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The following statement in this article caught my eye--

"At a public meeting in Tokyo, Japanese consumers continued to express reservations about American beef, suggesting that U.S. safety measures didn't seem as stringent as those of Japan."

It appears as tho the Japanese consumer doesn't think the US should be lowering its safety measures either- rather be tougher....This just doesn't fit with MRJ's NCBA boys statement that Japan has told NCBA we should lower our standards and take Canadian beef....




BEEF NEWS
Japan set to urge commission to allow U.S. beef imports

by John Gregerson on 5/23/2005 for Meatingplace.com




Following a series of public meetings on Friday, the Japanese government said it would ask the nation's food safety watchdog, the Food Safety Commission, to approve a resumption of U.S. beef imports.

The request, which could come as early as next week, would call for a resumption in imports of beef from American cattle the U.S. government verifies as aged 20 months or younger. Verification would be based on production records or the meat grading system, Japanese officials said.

After receiving the request, the Food Safety Commission will review U.S. safety measures against bovine spongiform encephalopathy to see if they conform with Japanese standards, a process that could take several months.

Because the commission functions as an independent body, government officials cannot directly intervene in the policy recommendations it makes to relevant ministries.

At a public meeting in Tokyo, Japanese consumers continued to express reservations about American beef, suggesting that U.S. safety measures didn't seem as stringent as those of Japan.

They also suggested that the government's recent decision to exclude cattle younger than 21 months from BSE testing was the result of pressure from the United States.
 
I think we should all use the toughest safety controls too, but to close the border to beef trade either way is literally like closing the gate after the horses are already on the road. It's ridiculous! Canada is crawling with American cattle and visa versa. Stopping trade is not going to help either of us...Canada short term will suffer, USA long term will suffer, but I suppose both of us will make the best out of our positions each time. Good luck all and thanks for reading from Canada.
 
Oldtimer said:
The following statement in this article caught my eye--

"At a public meeting in Tokyo, Japanese consumers continued to express reservations about American beef, suggesting that U.S. safety measures didn't seem as stringent as those of Japan."

It appears as tho the Japanese consumer doesn't think the US should be lowering its safety measures either- rather be tougher...

.This just doesn't fit with MRJ's NCBA boys statement that Japan has told NCBA we should lower our standards and take Canadian beef....

[OT, sorry you didn't understand my previous explanation. Again! That statement was in private, off the record, no name attached. This, that you cut and pasted for us, is on the record, and public. There is a difference! MRJ]




BEEF NEWS
Japan set to urge commission to allow U.S. beef imports

by John Gregerson on 5/23/2005 for Meatingplace.com




Following a series of public meetings on Friday, the Japanese government said it would ask the nation's food safety watchdog, the Food Safety Commission, to approve a resumption of U.S. beef imports.

The request, which could come as early as next week, would call for a resumption in imports of beef from American cattle the U.S. government verifies as aged 20 months or younger. Verification would be based on production records or the meat grading system, Japanese officials said.

After receiving the request, the Food Safety Commission will review U.S. safety measures against bovine spongiform encephalopathy to see if they conform with Japanese standards, a process that could take several months.

Because the commission functions as an independent body, government officials cannot directly intervene in the policy recommendations it makes to relevant ministries.

At a public meeting in Tokyo, Japanese consumers continued to express reservations about American beef, suggesting that U.S. safety measures didn't seem as stringent as those of Japan.

They also suggested that the government's recent decision to exclude cattle younger than 21 months from BSE testing was the result of pressure from the United States.
 
MRJ- Heres another anonymous official- this time he was whispering to Reuters rather than a NCBA boy..............


US beef imports may be 6 months away-Japanese official


WASHINGTON, May 23 (Reuters) - The resumption of U.S. beef exports to Japan, halted since America discovered its first case of mad cow disease 17 months ago, is difficult to predict but could be another six months away, a Japanese government official told Reuters on Monday.

The official, who asked not to be identified, said, "The timing of resumption will depend on how the discussion in FSC (Japan's Food Safety Commission) will progress."

"It took 6 months for the FSC to reach the conclusion when it considered the proposal on changing the domestic rules," said the official, who is knowledgeable about the trade issue. The panel began considering the issue in October 2004 and did not make its final recommendation until May 2005.

"Some people say this time it would be shorter, but some say longer. So it is difficult to guess," he added.

Tokyo officials said on Friday that the Japanese government would ask the Food Safety Commission as early as this week to approve a resumption in imports of beef from American cattle that the U.S. government verifies as aged 20 months or younger.

Before the trade ban, Japan ranked as the biggest market for American beef and bought $1.4 billion annually.

A second Japanese official told Reuters later on Monday: "In the case of the domestic regulation changes, the good point is ... the Food Safety Commission already has a kind of logic to evaluate the risk. They have the experience. That makes total deliberations shorter."

But, the official added, "On the other hand, they knew exactly how the BSE situation in Japan was, how prevalent BSE was, because we had a 100 percent testing policy for more than three years. About the BSE in the United States, our information was somewhat limited."

Asked whether Japan would consider temporarily removing its safeguard against meat import surges, if and when U.S. imports restarted, the official said: "If the import of beef increases to some extent, we have the right to increase the tariffs. We do not have any kind of talk about (removing the safeguard) yet."

A surge in imports would counteract the safeguard for U.S. beef importers, the official continued.

"I think if the import of U.S. beef increased that much, in some sense it would be good news for the U.S. industry."

U.S. Agriculture Secretary Mike Johanns said on Friday that the Japanese government's decision to ask approval from the FSC to allow a resumption in imports was "good news", adding the process "feels painfully slow, but it is definitely moving in the right direction."

The USDA stepped up its program to detect mad cow disease and tested more than 354,000 cattle during the past year without finding another case.
 
We could of been shipping them beef for over a year now and we still have no time table for a resumption of trade, and it was all sooooo predictable. :mad: But the AMI has no influence on the USDA.... :roll:
 
"It appears as tho the Japanese consumer doesn't think the US should be lowering its safety measures either- rather be tougher....This just doesn't fit with MRJ's NCBA boys statement that Japan has told NCBA we should lower our standards and take Canadian beef.... "

Depends which standards you're talking about. :shock:

The statement doesn't say import standards, it says safety measures. Safety measures like segregated kill plants, traceback, age verified ID, enforced feed ban, more testing of actual downers, and the use of more sensitive tests when they are tested. These are standards in place in Canada right now ..... and we're willing to make them higher yet if need be. :!:
 

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