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Japanese
and U.S. government officials met in Tokyo yesterday to
discuss conditions for lifting the bans on beef imports,
according to Japan's Kyodo News. Japan banned the importation
of beef from the United States in December 2003, after the
United States confirmed its first – and only – case of bovine
spongiform encephalopathy. Japan, which has confirmed a
number of BSE cases, insisted that the U.S. test all cattle
presented for slaughter. However, Japan relented ruling
that it will only accept beef from cattle younger than 30
months of age. Now the impasse centers on the method for
determining the age of the cattle.
Toshikazu
Ijichi, adviser of Japan's Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry,
and Fisheries, led the Japanese team, which also included
officials from the Ministry of Health, Labor, and Welfare
and the Foreign Ministry. The U.S. delegation, consisting
of government and academic experts, was represented by Deputy
USDA Undersecretary for Marketing and Regulatory Programs
Dr. Charles Lambert.
Akodo
News said the U.S. delegation urged Japan to promptly remove
the 16-month import ban, stressing the safety of U.S. beef,
and to ease its safety standards in line with the World
Organization for Animal Health guidelines, Kyodo News said.
The organization is currently moving toward easing its trade
guidelines in regard to BSE.
Japan
is demanding more details about the U.S. cattle-age verification
method. Japan's Food Safety Commission, an independent government
body, is studying the method, under which cattle age is
estimated from meat composition and bone formation.
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