Japan to keep ban on US beef

Tokyo: Japan’s vice minister of agriculture, Mamoru Ishihara, reiterated the country will not lift its ban on imports of US beef until the US tests all slaughtered cattle for mad cow disease, Kyodo News have reported.

Ishihara said signs the US is willing to expand testing beyond the 40,000 cattle planned next fiscal year are still not enough to satisfy Japanese authorities, Kyodo said.

The US insists its meat is safe without testing all the 35 million cattle it slaughters annually.