U.S.-Japan talks on beef end without timeline for reopening of Japan's market

TOKYO (AP) - U.S.-Japan agricultural talks ended Friday without setting a timeline for reopening the Japanese market to U.S. beef, a U.S. agricultural official said.
Chuck Lambert, acting undersecretary for marketing and regulatory programs, said Japan has accepted his government's audit of U.S. beef plans. Lambert said the United States still wants to resume exports to Japan by the end of June but the Japanese government has not yet agreed to that.

"We reached an agreement on the audit's report," Lambert said.

"But there are still details to be worked out."

Japan initially shut its profitable market for U.S. beef in December 2003 after the first discovery of mad cow disease in the United States. The ban was eased in December 2005 to allow the import of meat from cows 20 months old or younger.

But in January, Japanese customs officials found spine bones - which Tokyo considers at risk for the disease - in a shipment of U.S. veal and the market was closed again.

Since then, the U.S. conducted an investigation into the faulty shipment and submitted a report to Japanese authorities. Tokyo, however, had additional questions it wants answered before reopening the market.

Japan was once the most lucrative overseas market for U.S. beef, buying some $1.4 billion worth in 2003.

© The Canadian Press, 2006