I'm Steve Ember with the VOA Special English Agriculture
Report.
Japan agreed last week to import beef from the United States again. But
first, Japanese officials will inspect American meat processors as a final step
to be sure the beef is safe.
The Japanese government banned American beef in December of 2003. At that
time, the United States reported its first case of mad cow disease. The official
name is bovine spongiform
encephalopathy, or B.S.E. Scientists link the brain disease in
cows to a rare version in humans.
The Japanese government eased its import ban last December, after two years.
But the discovery in January of backbone material in a shipment of meat led
officials to renew the ban. Experts say spinal cords may spread B.S.E.
To reduce the risk of B.S.E., beef products exported to Japan must come from
cattle twenty months or younger.
Under the new agreement, Japanese experts will inspect all 35 American
meat-processing centers permitted to export to Japan. The teams are expected to
finish their work by July 21.
In the future, Japanese officials will be able to join American inspectors
for surprise inspections. Also, Japan has agreed to consider steps like the
rejection of individual shipments instead of a complete ban.
The agreement followed long negotiations by agricultural and trade officials.
Lawmakers in Congress have proposed to punish Japan with high customs if it does
not open its market by August 31.
The United States was one of the largest exporters of beef until the finding
of B.S.E. in a cow in Washington state in 2003. After that, exports dropped by
more than 80 percent. A second infected cow was found in Texas last year.
But exports have started to recover. The government says it expects American
farmers to export more than four hundred thousand metric tons of beef this year.
Still, that is less than half the levels in 2003.
The United States is the world's largest producer and user of beef, as well
as the biggest importer. Japan is the second biggest importer. But until 2003,
it was the top market for American beef. That year, Japan imported more than one
thousand million dollars worth. Since then, Australia and New Zealand have
increased their beef exports to Japan.
This VOA Special English Agriculture Report was written by Mario Ritter.
bovine spongiform encephalopathy: 牛綿狀腦病，又稱為瘋牛病，mad cow
disease
（來源：VOA 英語點津meggie編輯）
