japan slow to lift us beef bans?

Don’t expect Japs to lift US Beef ban anytime soon – Canada been banned since May03 and ban won’t be lifted until Canadians test every slaughtered animal.(as Jap does) US and Canada refuse and ban stays!!!!!

news quotes:
'Unfair' bans on U.S. beef mirror actions taken here
Thu Jan 15, 7:09 AM ET
….more than 40 countries have imposed on U.S. beef. ……….
However its arguments are undercut by its[US] own history of banning other countries' beef at the first appearance of the disease, then retaining the bans even in the face of far tougher steps than the U.S. has taken so far. Japan's beef, for example, is still banned in spite of the world's most rigorous testing.
Such actions open the U.S. to charges of hypocrisy and invite a similarly arbitrary response from trading partners now that the U.S. is suffering its own mad cow problem.

U.S. National - AFP
Japan minister says early lifting of ban on US beef desirable
Thu Jan 15, 3:52 AM ET
TOKYO (AFP) - Japanese Agriculture Minister Yoshiyuki Kamei told his US counterpart that an early lifting of the ban on imports of US beef over mad cow fears was "desirable" and agreed to talks next week to discuss the possible re-opening of trade……….
Some Japanese politicians have urged the United States to screen every cow slaughtered for bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE (news - web sites)), or mad cow disease, as Japan has been doing since October 2001.
Japan has been fighting its own battle with mad cow disease, confirming its ninth case in November after it became to only country in Asia to have confirmed BSE in its own herd in September 2001.

Japan, Canada agree to talks on mad cow disease, beef import ban remains
Tue Jan 13,10:05 AM ET
TOKYO (AFP) - The farm ministers of Canada and Japan agreed to expert-level scientific talks on mad cow disease but both governments said re-opening Japan to Canadian beef imports is some time off.
…..Japan has tested every cow slaughtered domestically for consumption since October 2001 after it discovered mad cow disease in its own herd.
Agriculture Minister Yoshiyuki Kamei agreed to the scientific talks but had little praise for a new testing regime Ottawa announced Friday, an official said.
Under the new regime, Canada will test 8,000 cows for BSE this year, with 30,000 tested annually after five years, 10 times more than it tests now.
"We have said that will not necessarily satisfy Japanese consumers," said Japanese agriculture official Toshiro Kawashima.
"The minister explained that this is not going to result in allowing Canadian beef imports," he said.
Japan banned Canadian beef imports last May after Canada confirmed North America's first indigenous case of mad cow disease which is believed to have a fatal human variant.

CHEERS
Fillet is so cheap here we use it for mince!