Posted by News on 10:13:30 3/18/2004 from 134.121.87.141:

Japan says it will accept BSE-tested U.S. beef

by Daniel Yovich on 3/18/04 for Meatingplace.com

A senior Japanese government official said his country would likely revise its blanket ban on U.S. beef imports, telling those at a Tokyo news conference Thursday that Japan would likely accept meat from individual U.S. companies that test all their cattle for bovine spongiform encephalopathy.

This is the first time a senior Japanese official has said publicly the government would mull a partial-lifting of its beef ban.

The Kyodo news service said Japanese officials have learned USDA is in the midst of discussions that could lead to the licensing of privately-run laboratories to conduct BSE testing under USDA oversight. Mamoru Ishihara, vice minister for Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, said if the private laboratories are supervised and regulated by USDA, Japanese "consumer demand for the safety of foods may be satisfied."

As recently as 10 days ago, senior USDA officials maintained they were in no hurry to expedite the licensing of BSE rapid-tests. The agency has since reversed, and will use the rapid tests in its efforts to increase by ten times the number of cattle it annually tests for BSE.

USDA is also reportedly under significant political pressure to resolve a dispute with Arkansas City, Kan.-based Creekstone Farms, which announced three weeks ago its plans to contract with a private lab to test all of its cattle for BSE in an effort to again service its Japanese and South Korean customers. To date, more than a dozen senators and congressmen have said they support that initiative.

One of many SH. One of many. May I ask you also? Do YOU think that Creekstone did not want USDA oversight? Let me clue you in.........It's was the way to skirt the "Liability" issue.