Japan lifts ban on US beef
21/06/2006 - 07:04:45Japan has agreed to lift its ban on US beef imports after lengthy negotiations, pending inspections of US meat processing plants, an Agriculture Ministry official said today.
The breakthrough resolves a long-running trade dispute and gives US farmers access to what was once their most lucrative export market.
Beef from the US was banned in January after Japanese officials found a veal shipment that contained backbone, which Asian countries consider at risk from mad cow disease.
The cuts are eaten in the US and other countries, but Japan’s rules are stricter.
