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Veneman mum on downers, Japan
WASHINGTON (DTN)--U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Ann Veneman was peppered with questions about mad cow disease after she gave a speech at the National Press Club April 6.
Asked whether USDA would soften a rule banning meat from non-ambulatory, or so-called downer cattle, in the beef supply, Veneman said she could not comment because USDA is writing the final rule on downer animals.
She said the U.S. Department of Agriculture had banned meat from downer animals after the discovery of the case of mad cow disease in Washington state Dec. 23.
Asked about reopening of the Japanese market to U.S. beef, Veneman said she was "very disappointed" Japan has rejected a U.S. proposal to take the issue to the World Organization for Animal Health for resolution, and it is now "difficult to predict" when the Japanese border might reopen.
Veneman said it was her understanding the Japanese restaurant industry is lobbying the government to reopen markets to imports of U.S. beef supplies. But a Japanese Embassy official who was in the audience disputed Veneman's statement.
Tadashi Sato, the agriculture attache at the embassy, told DTN that many Japanese restaurants are shifting from beef to pork.
"Unlike U.S. consumers, Japanese are not really beef-eaters," he said.
Sato also said the Japanese government "expects" the U.S. government to allow Creekstone, a Kansas meat company, to test all cattle for mad cow disease so that the company could resume shipments to Japan.
Japan tests all the cattle slaughtered there for human consumption. Japanese officials said they would reopen the market to American beef if the U.S. implements a test-all policy.
Creekstone has asked the USDA to approve a test and to certify the tests. USDA officials are considering Creekstone's request, but the National Cattlemen's Beef Association and the American Meat Institute are opposed to testing cattle for foreign markets because they do not believe that testing all animals is necessary. Analysts said U.S. beef processors are afraid U.S. consumers would demand the same tests.
Canada was another topic of conversation at the speech. Veneman said the comment period on reopening the border to Canadian cattle ended April 7, but some in Washington don't want to resume importing beef from Canada.
Senate Budget ranking member Kent Conrad, D-ND, wrote to Veneman saying he is opposed to the Bush administration proposal to allow live cattle trade from Canada to resume because he believes that country's government has lax standards for testing for mad cow disease.
Canada found a cow with mad cow disease last May, and the cow in Washington state was imported from there. Conrad said in a news release that he remains unconvinced the Canadians have taken the necessary steps to fully protect the livestock destined for shipment to the United States.
Date: 4/8/04
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