Japan is considering relaxing testing standards for BSE, otherwise known as the mad cow disease. Yoshinobu Shimamura, Japan’s minister of agriculture has confirmed that the government plans to exempt young cows from testing all cattle against the disease.

A proposal to the state-appointed Food Safety Commission has been submitted to exempt cows 20 months or younger from testing, including domestic cattle.

The animals are unlikely to have been exposed to meat-and-bone meal made from ruminant animal parts and infections among them are extremely rare. Besides, testing methods for young animals are not reliable, state the Japanese authorities.

Blanket testing of the animals has largely affected US exports of beef to Japan which bought $1.2 billion worth of US beef in 2003, before halting the imports in December last year after a first case of the disease was discovered in the USA. The US beef market hopes this relaxation will eventually lead to an increase in exports again.

Although Japan has just confirmed its 14th case of mad cow, the second case in less than a month, both animals were older than 20 months. Since 2001 every cow in Japan has been tested against BSE before slaughtering. 

Share this story: