January 5, 2004 Japan Economic Newswire

'They are not as effective as the ones being implemented in Japan,' Watanabe said, referring to the U.S. measures that include a ban on all 'downer' or sick cattle from being used as food for humans.

The safety package, announced by the U.S. Agriculture Department on Dec. 30, also includes prohibiting 'high risk' tissues contained in the head and spinal column of cattle 30 months or older being used for human consumption.

Referring to a Japanese plan to send a fact-finding mission to the U.S., Watanabe said the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries is currently arranging a schedule through diplomatic channels. He said he thinks the mission can be sent 'at an early date.'

Watanabe said the mission is expected to comprise officials of not only the agriculture ministry but also the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare as well as members of the government's Food Safety Commission.

The ministry will also dispatch two officials to Australia and New Zealand from Jan. 7 to 14 to study the feasibility of expanding beef imports from the two countries.

On Dec. 26, Japan banned imports of U.S. beef and processed beef products after tests confirmed the case of mad cow disease found in Washington State.

Meanwhile, the agriculture ministry said it will step up its scrutiny of product labeling to prevent importers and retailers from falsifying the country of origin.

The announcement came after the revelation last week that a supermarket in Nagasaki Prefecture labeled imported U.S. beef as domestic beef following the discovery of mad cow disease in the U.S.

The ministry's move covers mostly supermarkets and meat packers, where it crosschecks the country of origin listed in the business documentation and studies country-by-country breakdowns of imports and sales volumes.