America's task of convincing the world it had the BSE outbreak under control grew more difficult yesterday after the US agriculture department announced that infected meat had been distributed more widely than initially believed.
Meat from the infected cow, which was slaughtered in Washington state, was sold as far away as the US Pacific islands of Guam and Hawaii, as well as in Alaska, Idaho and Montana. Earlier, officials had said the meat was sold mainly in Washington and Oregon, with smaller amounts in California and Nevada.
The announcement will make things more difficult for a delegation of US agriculture officials who will try today to persuade the Japanese government to lift a ban on US beef imports, amid fears the BSE scare could prove disastrous for the multibillion dollar American cattle industry.
Japan seems unlikely to bow to American pressure, and may insist the US inspects all beef exports before restrictions are lifted, a task industry experts say is practically impossible given the size of the US herd.
Japan was one of more than 20 countries to impose the ban after the four-year-old Holstein cow in Washington tested positive for BSE last week.
It has also asked retailers to recall any US beef products which pose a potential risk. Japan, which bought more than $1bn (£560m) worth of US beef last year, is the world's largest importer of the product. Japan, South Korea and Mexico accounted for 89% of US beef exports this year, according to the US agriculture department.
American officials are disturbed by the prospect of a prolonged ban by its most important customer.
"We would like to restore normal trade as soon as possible," the US embassy in Tokyo said. "Japan is a valued customer for US beef imports. All of the beef products that we provide to Japan are safe."
Sales of beef in Japan have only just recovered following its first confirmed BSE cases in September 2001. Consumption plummeted, inflicting $2bn in losses on US, Australian and other beef exporters.
Japanese authorities introduced mandatory BSE testing for all domestic cattle bound for the abattoir, making Japan the only country to inspect all of its cows, regardless of age. But the checks are not conducted on imported beef.
The sensitive issue of the origins of the infection was disputed by Canada and the US at the weekend. Canadian officials demanded DNA tests to confirm US assertions that the afflicted cow came from north of the border.
On Saturday Canada's chief veterinarian, Bob Evans, said Washington was "premature" in stating that the diseased cow was among a herd of 74 imported from Alberta in August 2001, and said there were discrepancies in the animal's US and Canadian records.
"As yet, there is no definitive evidence that confirms the BSE-infected cow originated in Canada," he said.
The origins of the diseased cow are crucial to America's efforts to prove its beef industry is safe.
The US has banned Canadian beef imports since May, when a single case of BSE was reported in Canada, and was to have reviewed the ban next month. Canadian officials have suggested that the US is trying to shift the blame for the BSE outbreak to save its own industry.
Early findings by US officials that the infected cow came from Canada brought relief to the American beef industry, which has been criticised by consumer groups for its safety standards.
Powerful rancher groups have long resisted more rigorous controls, and blocked moves that would ban the slaughter of crippled cows, and those too weak to walk into the abattoir, the so-called "downer" cows.
The animal that was the source of the present BSE outbreak had been a "downer" cow. They have also fought the introduction of the tracking systems in place in Europe since the1980s. But the BSE outbreak may force the industry to rethink.
Japan has refused to lift a ban on Canadian beef, introduced after Canada's first BSE case, unless blanket inspections are introduced.
"We have to take the same stance against the US as we did against Canada," said Yoshiyuki Kamei, the agriculture minister.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/usa/story/0,12271,1113432,00.html
Meat from the infected cow, which was slaughtered in Washington state, was sold as far away as the US Pacific islands of Guam and Hawaii, as well as in Alaska, Idaho and Montana. Earlier, officials had said the meat was sold mainly in Washington and Oregon, with smaller amounts in California and Nevada.
The announcement will make things more difficult for a delegation of US agriculture officials who will try today to persuade the Japanese government to lift a ban on US beef imports, amid fears the BSE scare could prove disastrous for the multibillion dollar American cattle industry.
Japan seems unlikely to bow to American pressure, and may insist the US inspects all beef exports before restrictions are lifted, a task industry experts say is practically impossible given the size of the US herd.
Japan was one of more than 20 countries to impose the ban after the four-year-old Holstein cow in Washington tested positive for BSE last week.
It has also asked retailers to recall any US beef products which pose a potential risk. Japan, which bought more than $1bn (£560m) worth of US beef last year, is the world's largest importer of the product. Japan, South Korea and Mexico accounted for 89% of US beef exports this year, according to the US agriculture department.
American officials are disturbed by the prospect of a prolonged ban by its most important customer.
"We would like to restore normal trade as soon as possible," the US embassy in Tokyo said. "Japan is a valued customer for US beef imports. All of the beef products that we provide to Japan are safe."
Sales of beef in Japan have only just recovered following its first confirmed BSE cases in September 2001. Consumption plummeted, inflicting $2bn in losses on US, Australian and other beef exporters.
Japanese authorities introduced mandatory BSE testing for all domestic cattle bound for the abattoir, making Japan the only country to inspect all of its cows, regardless of age. But the checks are not conducted on imported beef.
The sensitive issue of the origins of the infection was disputed by Canada and the US at the weekend. Canadian officials demanded DNA tests to confirm US assertions that the afflicted cow came from north of the border.
On Saturday Canada's chief veterinarian, Bob Evans, said Washington was "premature" in stating that the diseased cow was among a herd of 74 imported from Alberta in August 2001, and said there were discrepancies in the animal's US and Canadian records.
"As yet, there is no definitive evidence that confirms the BSE-infected cow originated in Canada," he said.
The origins of the diseased cow are crucial to America's efforts to prove its beef industry is safe.
The US has banned Canadian beef imports since May, when a single case of BSE was reported in Canada, and was to have reviewed the ban next month. Canadian officials have suggested that the US is trying to shift the blame for the BSE outbreak to save its own industry.
Early findings by US officials that the infected cow came from Canada brought relief to the American beef industry, which has been criticised by consumer groups for its safety standards.
Powerful rancher groups have long resisted more rigorous controls, and blocked moves that would ban the slaughter of crippled cows, and those too weak to walk into the abattoir, the so-called "downer" cows.
The animal that was the source of the present BSE outbreak had been a "downer" cow. They have also fought the introduction of the tracking systems in place in Europe since the1980s. But the BSE outbreak may force the industry to rethink.
Japan has refused to lift a ban on Canadian beef, introduced after Canada's first BSE case, unless blanket inspections are introduced.
"We have to take the same stance against the US as we did against Canada," said Yoshiyuki Kamei, the agriculture minister.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/usa/story/0,12271,1113432,00.html