Oldtimer
Well-known member
I wonder what "deep root" means to the Japanese -- a year, two years, five years... :???:
We could have been sending 30 month old beef to Japan 3 years ago if USDA/NCBA/AMI hadn't put the stops to Creekstone testing...
-------------------------------------
CN_Today 1/12/2007 2:25:00 PM
Japan to Johanns: No Beef From Older Cattle
Secretary of Agriculture Mike Johanns met face to face with Toshikatsu Matsuoka, Japan's minister of agriculture, forestry and fisheries, and once more pressed Japan to relax its rules limiting U.S. beef imports to products from cattle under 21 months of age.
The answer, in short, was "no."
The meeting roughly coincided with the end of the agreed-upon six-month verification period Japan demanded when it resumed beef imports, and Johanns asked that negotiations "proceed to a new stage" rapidly.
However, Matsuoka said current terms must be honored, meaning Japan will proceed with a second audit of the U.S. beef industry and confirm U.S. plants are operating in accordance with Japan's original terms to resume imports. "Therefore, at the current stage it is most important that we respect the existing trade protocol to make sure that it takes deep root so that we are able to obtain the understanding of the Japanese people," Matsuoka said.
Pressed on a potential timeline to expand the age limit on imported beef, Matsuoka added that Japan's Food Safety Commission would have to be consulted, and that he would not make predictions about further actions until the intermediate steps are completed.
By Pete Hisey on Friday, January 12, 2007
We could have been sending 30 month old beef to Japan 3 years ago if USDA/NCBA/AMI hadn't put the stops to Creekstone testing...
-------------------------------------
CN_Today 1/12/2007 2:25:00 PM
Japan to Johanns: No Beef From Older Cattle
Secretary of Agriculture Mike Johanns met face to face with Toshikatsu Matsuoka, Japan's minister of agriculture, forestry and fisheries, and once more pressed Japan to relax its rules limiting U.S. beef imports to products from cattle under 21 months of age.
The answer, in short, was "no."
The meeting roughly coincided with the end of the agreed-upon six-month verification period Japan demanded when it resumed beef imports, and Johanns asked that negotiations "proceed to a new stage" rapidly.
However, Matsuoka said current terms must be honored, meaning Japan will proceed with a second audit of the U.S. beef industry and confirm U.S. plants are operating in accordance with Japan's original terms to resume imports. "Therefore, at the current stage it is most important that we respect the existing trade protocol to make sure that it takes deep root so that we are able to obtain the understanding of the Japanese people," Matsuoka said.
Pressed on a potential timeline to expand the age limit on imported beef, Matsuoka added that Japan's Food Safety Commission would have to be consulted, and that he would not make predictions about further actions until the intermediate steps are completed.
By Pete Hisey on Friday, January 12, 2007
