Imports of U.S. beef - Asahi (Japanese newspaper) editorial 1/12/2004

[Guest guest]

Here's an editorial on BSE mad-cow disease from a major Japanese

newspaper. I'm interested in the part where they mention that Japan

tests every cow for BSE *before* the animal is slaughtered. I wonder if

they extract brain cells from the cow? It sounds like a very painful

prelude to the actual slaughter, which is bad enough as it is. But

their arguments about sloppy practices in the American meat industry

seem well-founded.

 

ys

hkdd

 

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The Asahi Shimbun [Japanese newpaper] Jan. 12, 2004

 

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EDITORIAL: Imports of U.S. beef

 

Japan's demands on testing are very reasonable.

 

Tokyo and Washington are currently holding talks over Japan's decision

in December to ban imports of American beef following the discovery of

the first case of mad cow disease, or bovine spongiform encephalopathy

(BSE), in the United States.

 

Japan tests every cow for BSE before the animal is slaughtered and

insists it will not lift the ban on American beef unless the United

States takes the same step for all cattle processed for export to Japan.

 

In an attempt to convince Japan that beef from the United States is

safe, the U.S. government stressed that the infected cow found in

Washington State was born in Canada and shipped across the border.

Washington has also pointed out that cattle parts at risk of BSE

infection-the brain, spinal cord and other nervous-system tissue-are

removed before the meat is exported.

 

Be that as it may, a huge number of cows are raised in Canada and

transported to the United States each year. U.S. health authorities

currently only check suspicious animals like ``downer'' cattle, those

too sick to walk, for BSE. That means less than 1 percent of cattle

entering the food supply system are tested. That is far from enough to

allay concerns about meat from infected cows finding their way onto

consumers' tables. It is well established that risky cattle parts are

removed, but there is also concern about possible careless meat

processing and dangerous nervous-system tissue contaminating ground beef.

 

Some American lawmakers are lobbying for mad-cow testing for all cattle

slaughtered for human consumption-the approach adopted by Japan. In

Europe, all cattle 30 months or older are tested for BSE. It generally

has been assumed that beef from animals younger than 30 months-which is

considerably shorter than the average incubation period for BSE-can be

safely eaten. But the discovery of a BSE case in a cow younger than 30

months in Japan has reinforced the case for testing of all cattle.

 

With these concerns in mind, Tokyo has more than enough justification in

demanding testing of all U.S. beef.

 

Since beef from the United States accounted for as much as 30 percent of

overall consumption in Japan, it is difficult to make up the shortfall

caused by the ban with imports from other beef-producing countries like

Australia. The damaging effects of the ban are already being felt in

Japan. A major restaurant chain specializing in ``gyudon''-bowls of

steamed rice topped with thinly sliced stewed beef-has been forced to

change its menu. Many Japanese businesses as well as American beef

producers desperately hoping for an early resumption of American beef

exports to Japan.

 

However, caution must be the order of the day when it comes to the issue

of food safety. When humans consume a large amount of tissue containing

prions, rogue proteins believed to cause mad cow disease, they run the

risk of getting a variant of Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, the brain

disorder linked to BSE. While the number of cases found is small, the

brain-wasting disease invariably proves fatal.

 

Dozens of countries have prohibited the sale of U.S. beef following the

finding of mad cow disease. They seem to be in no hurry to resume their

imports. The United States itself still maintains a ban on beef imports

from Japan imposed when the first BSE case was discovered here in 2001.

 

The Japanese government established a system for BSE tests on all cattle

within just six months by providing 4 billion yen in subsidies for the

purchase of testing kits. Obviously, the U.S. government and the

livestock industry can improve BSE testing standards to levels demanded

by major importers. But it is up to them to make the effort. Certainly,

it would help regain international trust in American beef.

 

In August 2003, Japan raised tariffs on foreign beef as a safeguard

import curb to protect the domestic industry. The step, allowed under

international trade rules, was taken in response to a surge in beef

imports last year due to a rebound of domestic demand after a sharp drop

the previous year amid the beef scare.

 

The measure caused a surge in prices of Australian and other foreign

beef triggered by the ban on American imports. The government should

lower the tariffs back as soon as possible for the benefit of consumers

in this country.

 

--The Asahi Shimbun, Jan. 12 (IHT/Asahi: January 13, 2004) (01/13)