USDA welcomes ‘in-depth’ beef talks with Japan
KTIC.com
WASHINGTON, May 18 (Reuters) – The Agriculture Department welcomes the extension of beef talks with Japan as an opportunity to discuss in depth U.S. safeguards against mad cow disease, a USDA spokesman said on Thursday. Japan suspended imports of U.S. beef in January after inspectors found banned spinal material in a shipment of veal. This week’s meetings were to discuss U.S. steps to prevent further violations. “We certainly welcome this opportunity to have an in-depth discussion with the Japanese regarding the safety of U.S. beef and the effectiveness of our interlocking system,” said USDA spokesman Ed Loyd. “We have provided them with detailed information to fully respond to their questions and are working to define the next steps needed to move towards trade resumption in the near future.”
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