October 25, 2006

Japan to release embargoed U.S. beef

Beef from the United States that was seized at customs in Japan when a shipment of veal was found to contain spinal bones will be allowed to enter the market soon, the Japanese government said.
About 910 tons of chilled beef has been kept in freezers since the beef ban was reimposed almost a year ago. U.S. beef was originally banned in December 2003 when a case of bovine spongiform encephalopathy was discovered in Washington state. The ban was first rescinded in December 2005, but was reinstated almost immediately when the defective shipment of veal was discovered by customs officials. FSnet Link