Japanese again block imports of American beef

WASHINGTON – Japan halted all imports of U.S. beef because of mad cow fears Friday, threatening millions of dollars in American trade and sending officials scrambling to repair delicate business relations.

Japan’s sudden order came just six weeks after the country had lifted a two-year ban on American beef. The problem this time: discovery of bone – a mad cow disease risk, Asian countries say – in a shipment of veal from a plant in New York.

Agriculture Secretary Mike Johanns called the problem “an unacceptable failure” to meet Japan’s requirements. He dispatched inspectors to Japan and ordered unannounced inspections at U.S. plants.

“We are taking this matter very seriously, recognizing the importance of our beef export markets,” Johanns said.

Japan’s discovery was a jarring setback for the U.S. meat industry and the Bush administration, both of which had been optimistic about the prospects of selling more beef in Asia despite lingering restrictions on U.S. products.

Once the world’s biggest customer for U.S. beef, Japan ended an earlier ban last month. It agreed to allow shipments of boneless beef from animals younger than 21 months, a stricter requirement than international guidelines call for.

There was much celebrating at the time. One U.S. group flew in a beef shipment for a banquet in Tokyo with the Japanese food service industry. Hong Kong, South Korea and Singapore quickly followed Japan’s lead.

Of the $3.9 billion in global sales of American beef in 2003, Japan accounted for $1.4 billion. The other three made up about $911 million; they did not weigh in Friday on Japan’s action.

For now, American beef is being held at Japanese ports until the United States completes a report on what happened, which Johanns said would be delivered “immediately.”

Mad cow disease is the common term for bovine spongiform encephalopathy, or BSE. It is a degenerative nerve disease in cattle linked to a rare but fatal human disease, variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease.

There have been two cases of BSE in the United States and 21 cases in Japan.

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