U.S. pressure on Japan over beef infuriates Japanese farmers

As part of the effort to prevent mad cow disease (BSE or bovine spongiform epidemic), Japan has requested that the United States carry out BSE tests on all its beef cattle and take sufficient safety measures.

The United States, which tests only 0.06 percent of cows without even tracing their breeding history, is urging Japan to lift the ban on imports of U.S. beef instead of responding to the Japanese request.

Akahata of January 26 reported that Japan's cattle raisers and meat processors are angered by the U.S. pressure. They know that their efforts to maintain tests on all cattle and traceability to gain consumers' trust may be undermined if beef that evaded the test appears on the Japanese market.

In Maebashi City in Gunma Prefecture where many cattle are raised, the test is so rigid that a cow valued at one million yen cannot be put on the market if its ID tag fails to tally with the list.

Since October 2001, 46,000 cows have undergone the test, and seven were found to be false BSE positive.

In January, the Japanese agricultural and health ministries sent a group of investigators to the United States to collect information concerning the recent BSE cases. In a limited examination, the group found that the United States had tested only 20,000 cows (0.06 percent of all cows), mostly those that have difficulty walking. Their breeding history had not been recorded. The use of meat-bone feed has been prohibited since August 1997, but the ban has been disregarded.

Yasuaki Yamaura, vice representative of the Consumers Union of Japan said, "The Japanese government must not yield to U.S. pressures for import. It instead should request other countries to carry out the BSE test on all beef cows without exception." (end)