A panel of Japan's Food Safety Commission (FSC) has approved a report which says that U.S. beef is essentially as safe as Japanese beef if proper procedures are followed.
"We concluded that with regard to the risk of mad cow disease, the difference between Japanese beef and meat from American cattle aged 20 months or below is very small," Yasuhiro Yoshikawa, the chairman of the subcommittee. But he also urged vigilance to make sure U.S. safety measures are sufficient. "Imports must be stopped if there is a concern of a risk to humans," he said.
Japan's Vice Farm Minister Mamoru Ishihara welcomed the panel's report, expressing his thanks to the panel for their work on the matter.
"We are grateful to the commission for completing the report," Ishihara told a news conference. "I respect the report as it has been presented."
The adoption of the report is one of the key steps that had to happen in the process of reopening Japan's market to U.S. beef. However, it still isn't clear when the trade resumption will take place. The commission will now seek public comments on the panel's report for four weeks, possibly starting from Wednesday.
Still, the panel's action is a welcome step in the process which has seen Japan's market closed to U.S. beef for nearly two years after a cow with BSE was found in Washington state in December 2003.
U.S. lawmakers have been pressing for Japan to reopen its market to U.S.
beef, with legislation unveiled last week in the U.S. Senate that would impose sanctions against Japan by year-end if they are not certified by the U.S. Trade Representative as reopening their market by Dec. 15, 2005.Pro Farmer
