Following the finding of a vertebral column in a shipment of beef originating from a New York-based packer, the Japanese Agriculture Ministry has reinstated a ban on all US beef imports.
The Japanese enacted a ban on all US beef in 2003 following the discovery of Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE) in a cow in the US. The ban was released in December, 2005 allowing for the resumption of exports of beef from cattle 20 months of age or younger provided certain tissues, including the spinal cord and vertebral column as well as other specified risk materials (or SRMs), are removed at slaughter. Specific conditions must be met through a U.S. government verification program before the product can be shipped.
Secretary of Agriculture Mike Johanns announced that an investigation was underway and he dispatched employees to Japan and the packing plant in New York. In addition, USDA inspectors have been sent to every U.S. packer approved to export beef to Japan to insure compliance with approved procedures including removal of SRMs as outlined in the export agreement with Japan.
Source:USDA