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Bush distorts Japanese panel's opinion on safety of U.S. beef

In Kyoto on November 16, U.S. President George W. Bush said: "The prime minister and his government have studied the issue and confirmed that U.S. beef is safe."

Bush was referring to Prime Minister Koizumi Jun'ichiro's statement indicating that Japan was on its way to lift the ban on U.S. beef, which Japan imposed after cases of BSE or mad cow disease were discovered in the United States.

But the remarks by Bush and Koizumi are contrary to the fact that the Food Safety Commission's prion panel have not concluded that U.S. beef is safe.

The draft report pointed out that there remain questionable points in the data concerning the system to identify cattle's age, restrictions on feed for cattle, and removal of risky parts. The report stated, "It is difficult to confirm the safety of U.S. beef."

The panel also said the risk of beef from cattle 20 months old and younger being infected by bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) is "extremely low," as long as stringent safety measures are observed. This clearly shows that the report never concluded that U.S. beef is safe.

The U.S. government is now urging the Koizumi Cabinet to resume imports of U.S. beef from cattle 30 months old and younger, instead of 20 months. -- Akahata, November 17, 2005