Japan to lift ban on British beef

Japan will begin the process of lifting its 22-year-old ban on British beef imports later this year as no confirmed cases of bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE)—often referred to as mad cow disease—have emerged there in recent years, according to a Japan Times report citing government sources. If the ban is lifted, Tokyo would let beef from cattle 30 months of age or younger be imported, ending a ban imposed in 1996. In 1986, Britain became the first country to confirm cattle infected with BSE. No infection has been found in the country since a 2009-born cow tested positive in 2015, leading London to request that Tokyo lift the ban. In the absence of British infections in recent years, the Food Safety Commission of Japan has concluded it would be safe to eat beef from Britain as long as imports are from cattle 30 months or younger and some parts deemed risky, including spinal marrow, continue to be banned. Japan has already lifted bans on imported beef from 14 countries, including the United States and Canada. Of the 526,000 tons of beef Japan imported in fiscal 2016, 52 percent came from Australia, followed by the United States at 39 percent, according to data from Japan’s Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Ministry and other organizations. — WLJ