Japan tested 8,176,946 cows and found 21 BSE as of May 2008. The ratio is 1 in 389,378.
http://www.mhlw.go.jp/houdou/0110/h1018-6.html

The ratio is about the same. Since Japan tests all the cows before processing, Japanese beef is safer than US beef.

Country BSE cases vCJD cases
Austria 5 0
Belgium 125 0
Canada 10 1
Czech Republic 9 0
Denmark 15 0
Falkland Islands 1 0
Finland 1 0
France 900 11
Germany 312 0
Greece 1 0
Hong Kong 2 0
Israel 1 0
Italy 117 1
Japan 26 1
Liechtenstein 2 0
Luxembourg 2 1
Netherlands 75 2
Oman 2 0
Poland 21 0
Portugal 875 2
Republic of Ireland 1,353 4
Slovakia 15 0
Slovenia 7 0
Spain 412 2
Sweden 1 0
Switzerland 453 0
Thailand 2
United Kingdom 183,823 163
United States 3 3
Total 188,535 193

What was that about Aussie beef being safer because of grass feeding?

Testing has already disproven that.

Japanese consumers want the beef tested free of BSE. If US beef industry agrees to test cows older than 20 months, Japan will allow such import. Simple as that. Things get complicated since US beef industry adamantly refuses to test cows, in order to, I suspect, hide large number of BSE cows in the US.

#15 The Goat.
There is no scientific evidence that cows younger than 20 months are immune to BSE. So, there is no scientific evidence that they need not be tested.

US is categorized as a “controlled BSE risk country” by OIE.
http://www.oie.int/eng/info/en_statesb.htm
To export beef from “controlled” countries, the exporters must attest that “the cattle from which the fresh meat and meat products were derived passed ante-mortem and post-mortem inspections.” (Article 2.3.13.11. of Terrestrial Animal Health Code of OIE)
http://www.oie.int/eng/normes/.....2.3.13.htm
I wonder what kind of inspections do US producers have, if they have any.

I don’t understand who they mean by “beef industry officials.”

Probably the US Meat Export Federation (USMEF).

Korea is not Japan. Koreans need to realize this. Korea isn’t the US’s number one trading partner or even a fully developed country and doesn’t deserve to be treated as such.

Again, if Koreans don’t open their markets to other country’s goods equally, their goods shouldn’t be allowed into other country’s markets.

Time to grow up and stop being so selfish Korea.

There is nothing funny about it at all. The fact that the US and Japan have a deal that only allows beef under 20 months is completely irrelevant to the Korean situation. It is simply having the the safety standards of imported meat (statistically speaking) on par with that of domestic meat.

Allowing the arbitrary imposition of higher “safety” standards for imports (than domestic production) is a dangerous game for an economy reliant on exports. It is especially dangerous when there is no evidence to support such a claim.

Dangerous precedent indeed…

cm,

As stated above, there will be no valid pressure for the Japanese to fully open their market as long as they continue 100% testing on all domestic production. Cows under 20 months have a statistical probability of pretty much zero in having BSE which pretty much equals the standards Japan imposes on its’ domestic production.

Any attempt by the US to pressure Japan into fully opening the market would be a waste of time.