U.S. beef exports to Japan to resume soon

U.S. beef exports to Japan to resume soon    U.S. and Japanese government officials concluded an agreement Friday to re-start exports of American beef to Japan in the coming weeks.
   Japan closed its market to American beef shipments Dec. 23, after the discovery of a Washington state cow infected with bovine spongiform encephalopathy, better known as BSE or “mad cow” disease.
   Under the new agreement, trade to Japan will resume after the completion of regulatory processes in both countries. Japan is revising its domestic regulations to alter its BSE cattle testing requirements, while the United States will initiate a rulemaking related to imports of Japanese specialty beef.
   A special marketing program will be developed for Japan under which the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Agricultural Marketing Service will certify that meat exports meet the terms of the agreement.
   According to USDA, the U.S. meat shippers may export certain varieties of beef cuts to Japan if the cows are below 21 months of age. Animal age will be determined by a combination of production records and physiological evaluations. The countries will evaluate the program by July 2005 and make changes, if necessary. Experts from the World Organization for Animal Health will also evaluate the program.
   Industry groups, such as the U.S. Meat Export Federation, said they’re ready to assist and comply with the new procedures. “We understand there is still hard work to do and we stand ready to do our part in the United States and in Japan … to relaunch U.S. beef,” said Philip Seng, president and chief executive officer of the federation, in a statement.
   Japan was the largest market for U.S. beef products with sales in 2003, exceeding $1.7 billion before the ban was imposed. Exports in total to Japan accounted for more than 10 percent of the total value of U.S. beef exports, USDA said.