Japan not Ready to Modify U.S. Beef Export Standards

WASHINGTON -- Japan is not yet ready to accept meat from U.S. cattle older than 20 months until the two countries conduct audits, confirm results and make the results public for the verification period to be completed, said Japan's Agriculture Minister Toshikatsu Matsuoka during a meeting last week with U.S. Agriculture Secretary Mike Johanns. Japan only accepts beef from U.S. cattle aged 20 months and younger, and the USDA wants Japan to change that to the international standard of 30 months. A transcript of the meeting was published on www.usda.gov.