030630 Japan to Delay Restrictions on U.S. Beef

Washington - Japan will wait until September before forcing U.S. beef exporters to label their product to say where it was raised and processed, the U.S. Department of Agriculture said.

Julie Quick, a USDA spokeswoman, said the new deadline will give U.S. officials more time to evaluate reports on a case of mad cow disease in Canada before deciding whether to resume beef and cattle trade with Canada. Trade was halted after scientists discovered an animal was infected with the illness.

Japan had planned to impose the new restrictions on imports of U.S. beef by July 1 out of concern that it could contain meat from Canada. U.S. officials pushed for an extension to take more time to review scientific reports on how Canada handled the infection.

Canadian scientists have said the infection was an isolated incident. An international panel is doing its own assessment that is expected to be released within the next few days.

The human form of the disease is known as variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease. Scientists say people get it by eating meat products containing brain or spinal tissue from infected animals.

RETURN TO HOME PAGE

E-mail: sflanagan@sprintmail.com