Japan                                    ...

Japan                                                                                            

USDA Delegation Arrives In Tokyo

U.S. and Japanese government officials – including U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Mike Johanns and Agriculture Minister Shoichi Nakagawa – remained in contact over the weekend, although no apparent progress has been made to end the re-institution of a ban on U.S. beef products. A USDA delegation arrived in Tokyo today and is expected to meet with its Japanese counterparts tomorrow. The delegation will assure the Japanese Government and public that the U.S. is taking every necessary step to ensure compliance with the requirements for exporting beef to Japan.  The delegation will also provide an update on the status of the investigation of the shipment that mistakenly included vertebral column on Friday. The vertebral column with spinal cord removed is not a food-safety risk but is not allowed for export under the U.S. agreement with Japan.

The delegation will be led by Dr. J.B. Penn, USDA under secretary for farm and foreign agricultural services, Dr. Charles Lambert, USDA deputy under secretary for marketing and regulatory programs, and Dr. Curt Mann, USDA under secretary for food safety and inspection services. 

Meanwhile, Secretary Johanns has invited chief operating officers and quality assurance heads of all companies interested in and/or participating in beef export verification programs with Asian countries to a meeting in Washington, D.C., Tuesday at 2:30 p.m. in USDA’s Jefferson Auditorium. The meeting is viewed as necessary to “supplement existing training activities” by USDA.

The Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) has updated its online FSIS Export Library of Requirements to reflect the temporary ban imposed by Japan on U.S. beef: “The government of Japan has suspended import procedures for all beef from the United States.  FSIS will not certify beef for export to Japan until the suspension is lifted.”

Japan                                                                                            

USDA Delegation Arrives In Tokyo

U.S. and Japanese government officials – including U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Mike Johanns and Agriculture Minister Shoichi Nakagawa – remained in contact over the weekend, although no apparent progress has been made to end the re-institution of a ban on U.S. beef products. A USDA delegation arrived in Tokyo today and is expected to meet with its Japanese counterparts tomorrow. The delegation will assure the Japanese Government and public that the U.S. is taking every necessary step to ensure compliance with the requirements for exporting beef to Japan.  The delegation will also provide an update on the status of the investigation of the shipment that mistakenly included vertebral column on Friday. The vertebral column with spinal cord removed is not a food-safety risk but is not allowed for export under the U.S. agreement with Japan.

The delegation will be led by Dr. J.B. Penn, USDA under secretary for farm and foreign agricultural services, Dr. Charles Lambert, USDA deputy under secretary for marketing and regulatory programs, and Dr. Curt Mann, USDA under secretary for food safety and inspection services. 

Meanwhile, Secretary Johanns has invited chief operating officers and quality assurance heads of all companies interested in and/or participating in beef export verification programs with Asian countries to a meeting in Washington, D.C., Tuesday at 2:30 p.m. in USDA’s Jefferson Auditorium. The meeting is viewed as necessary to “supplement existing training activities” by USDA.

The Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) has updated its online FSIS Export Library of Requirements to reflect the temporary ban imposed by Japan on U.S. beef: “The government of Japan has suspended import procedures for all beef from the United States.  FSIS will not certify beef for export to Japan until the suspension is lifted.”