bse2

Japan Press Service Co., Ltd. is the only news agency providing information of progressive, democratic movements in Japan

Citizens urge government not to lift ban on U.S. beef import

Following the revelation that the second BSE-infected cow confirmed in the United States was born and bred in Texas, Japanese advocates of food safety made representations to the Japanese government on July 1 demanding that the ban on U.S. beef not be lifted.

They were representatives of the National Campaign for the Defense of the People's Food and Health (Shokukenren) and the National Federation of Farmers Movement (Nominren).

They criticized the government for urging the Cabinet Office Food Safety Commission to recommend that the government give the green light to the resumption of importing U.S. beef from cows that are 20 months or younger without inspections.

Based on a survey of U.S. BSE-related conditions they had conducted recently, Shokukenren members reported that in the U.S., meat-and-bone meal is distributed as feed for cows and that it has failed to employ the western blot test, a highly accurate inspection system used in Japan and European countries. "It is natural to believe that more BSE-infected cows could be discovered in the U.S. if the U.S. government carries out inspections that are the same level as Japan," they said. - Akahata, July 2, 2005