Japan will ease a ban on U.S. beef imports after a Japanese panel declared on Monday that beef from young American cattle is safe if risk materials that could transmit mad cow disease are removed, Reuters quoted government officials as saying. The panel at Japan's Food Safety Commission ended five months of discussion on the safety of U.S. beef with a conclusion that beef and beef offal from American cattle aged 20 months or younger are at very low risk from mad cow disease if specified materials, such as bovine heads and spinal cords, are removed. "We concluded that with regard to the risk of mad cow disease, the difference between Japanese beef and meat from American cattle aged 20 months or below is very small," Yasuhiro Yoshikawa, the chairman of the subcommittee, said after compiling a report assessing the risks of U.S. beef. It was not immediately clear when imports of U.S. beef would resume, but media reports on Monday suggested it could be in December. Japan's new farm minister, Shoichi Nakagawa, hailed the panel's conclusion as an important step towards resuming U.S. beef imports. "My understanding is that a direction has been shown towards (resolving the issue)," Nakagawa, who was appointed in a cabinet reshuffle on Monday, told a news conference. Nakagawa said he would take the steps necessary to move towards reopening Japan's beef market to U.S. meat. He added that he would also take into account consumers' concerns about food safety. --more 1420 Local Time 1120 GMT
