Japanese newspaper predicts border will not open to U.S. beef until summer's end
by Pete Hisey on 2/11/05 for Meatingplace.com
Citing internal disagreements within Japan's Food Safety Commission, a complicated process to revise the country's law that all cattle slaughtered must be tested for bovine spongiform encephalopathy and recent events such as the death of a Japanese man from variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, Japanese newspaper the Asahi Shimbun predicted that the market would not open to American beef until the end of the summer at the earliest.
"Optimists say the decision (to accept American beef graded A40) should help to accelerate work to change domestic safety standards," the paper said. "But that is not the case."
A review of the system is underway, but "has taken much longer than expected." Even if the panel conducting the review were to recommend ending the requirement to test cattle under 20 months of age, there is no certainty that the Food Safety Commission would approve it.
Meanwhile, Japan and the United States will hold meetings soon at which Tokyo will present Washington with a list of requirements the Japanese want met in confirming the age of cattle and other safeguards against infection. No date has been set for the meetings, according to an Agricultural Ministry official.
by Pete Hisey on 2/11/05 for Meatingplace.com
Citing internal disagreements within Japan's Food Safety Commission, a complicated process to revise the country's law that all cattle slaughtered must be tested for bovine spongiform encephalopathy and recent events such as the death of a Japanese man from variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, Japanese newspaper the Asahi Shimbun predicted that the market would not open to American beef until the end of the summer at the earliest.
"Optimists say the decision (to accept American beef graded A40) should help to accelerate work to change domestic safety standards," the paper said. "But that is not the case."
A review of the system is underway, but "has taken much longer than expected." Even if the panel conducting the review were to recommend ending the requirement to test cattle under 20 months of age, there is no certainty that the Food Safety Commission would approve it.
Meanwhile, Japan and the United States will hold meetings soon at which Tokyo will present Washington with a list of requirements the Japanese want met in confirming the age of cattle and other safeguards against infection. No date has been set for the meetings, according to an Agricultural Ministry official.
