Singapore Reopens Market to U.S. Beef; Japan Stops Beef Imports

News Date January 20, 2006

          Agriculture Secretary Mike Johanns announced that Singapore will resume the import of U.S. boneless beef products from animals under 30 months of age under an agreement reached this week. "The opening of Singapore's market demonstrates a growing global confidence in the effectiveness of U.S. safeguards and the safety of U.S. beef," said Johanns. "This decision adds momentum to our goal of resuming normal beef trade throughout the world that follows science-based international guidelines in food and animal safety. We will continue to pursue this objective with all our trading partners."
          Singapore's decision to lift its ban follows recent developments in Japan, Hong Kong and South Korea to resume trade in various beef or beef products. In 2003, the United States exported $5.9 million of beef and beef products to Singapore, with boneless beef exports accounting for nearly $4 million.
          This news was greeted with a decision by Japan to halt all imports of U.S. beef due to a recent shipment possibly containing material considered at risk for bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE). Based on a news statement released January 20, Johanns stated that USDA will conduct a thorough investigation. He pointed out that the material contained in the shipment, the backbone, is not a specified risk material because it was in beef under 30 months. However, the U.S. agreement with Japan set forth that beef exported would not include the backbone, called vertebral column.
          USDA has de-listed the processing plant that exported the product and can no longer export beef to Japan. "We will take the appropriate personnel action against the USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service employee who conducted the inspection of the product in question and approved it to be shipped to Japan," Johanns said in the statement. "I am dispatching a team of USDA inspectors to Japan to work with Japanese inspectors to reexamine every shipment currently awaiting approval, to confirm compliance with the requirements of our export agreement with Japan." Furthermore, USDA will send additional inspectors to every approved plant to review procedures and ensure compliance with the U.S.-Japan export agreement and will order unannounced inspections at approved plants.
          After the discovery of a BSE-infected cow in the United States, $4.8 billion worth of U.S. beef and beef product exports were banned. (Contact: Jennifer Yezak)