CNN: Japan stops U.S. beef shipments again (animal spine found)

[DeepModem Mom]

Japan stops U.S. beef shipments again
Imports halted after animal spine found, a month after 2-year ban lifted; U.S. asked to explain.
January 20, 2006: 8:20 AM EST


TOKYO (CNN) - Japan halted the import of U.S. beef Friday after animal spines were found in three boxes of frozen beef at Tokyo International Airport and asked U.S. officials to explain what happened.

Slightly more than a month ago, Japan lifted a two-year ban on U.S. beef amid concerns about mad cow disease. It is unclear how long the temporary stoppage of U.S. beef imports will last.

The shipment of beef with spinal cords attached violates the agreement between the two countries, meaning a ban could be reinstated.

A Japanese Agriculture Ministry statement said the importation of U.S. beef had been halted until the U.S. government can report to the ministry "the cause of the discovery."

The statement said when 41 boxes of frozen beef arrived from a firm in New York, inspectors found beef with spinal cords attached in three of the boxes....


http://money.cnn.com/2006/01/20/news/international/japan_beef/index.htm?cnn=yes

[Zech Marquis]

1. we posted at the same time LOL

eewwww spinal cords atached in the frozen beef?! Real smart guys!

[DeepModem Mom]

3. Great minds!

:hi:

[npincus]

2. yummy... spinal cords! those are my favorite!

[Tandalayo_Scheisskopf]

5. Mee two!!!

Nothing gets my saliva flowing better than the thought of a nutritious and deeeeeeelicious Spinal Cord Wellington! Mmmmm-Mmm!

[npincus]

8. you ought to try spinal cord shish-kabob...

put another one on the bar-bee!

[NIGHT TRIPPER]

17. Spinal cord SPAGHETTI with blood sauce-! with eYEBALL MEAt Ballz

just like grandma used to make!!

[leftchick]

4. this makes me want to vomit

:puke: one of the many reasons why I don't eat meat. :puke:

[NIGHT TRIPPER]

15. Eating Animals is GROSS! eat the dismembered and decompossing body parts?

and one body part of the carcass is supposed to be "delicious" while another part is "yucky"--
Whaaaa?
Every part on the entire carcass is equally as gross and "yucky"-
It seems like if you eat the muscle tissue you could eat the brain, eyeballs, testicles, milk sacks...drink the body fluids!!

!!!!All too sick to think about unless you're stranded in a plane crash and it's survival!:puke:

-And these body parts areDEADLY nowadays ???
how could someone wanna risk losing their own life???
Because it "TASTES GOOD??"
I personally wont eat any "BODY"-
At least some people don't participate!!

[K-W]

16. All life is gross.

Its an occupational hazzard.

[dysfunctional press]

25. it sounds like you just haven't found the right steak sauce...

[NIGHT TRIPPER]

28. GOOD ONE !!!!----n/t

[kahleefornia]

6. we should totally claim

"Oh my gosh, those weren't there when we shipped them! Must have been the Terrorists!!"

[DS1]

7. This sounds like a job for...

[RaRa]

9. Japan to reimpose ban on all US beef imports

"TOKYO (Reuters) - Japan will reimpose a ban on all U.S. beef imports just a month after lifting it, following the discovery of animal parts in a recent shipment that should have been removed due to the risk of mad cow disease.
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The Agriculture Ministry said on Friday the ban would remain until it receives more information from the United States. A U.S. embassy official in Tokyo said the U.S. regretted the incident and would investigate it."

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20060120/bs_nm/madcow_japan_dc

[msongs]

10. ban japanese cars - they kill thousands every year :-) nt

[psychopomp]

11. I, for one, am surprised.

The US balked at the Japanese insistance on inspection to confirm the removal of the brain and spinal cord of carcasses but the Japanese were firm on this condition. The return of "the Japan that can say `No!`"?

[BiggJawn]

12. "Oh! THAT'S what happened to those missing employees!"

"We thought they just walked off the job!"

[hedgehog]

13. That's what happens when you speed up the line.

It may have something to do with having untrained workers as well.

[warrens]

14. The language of the agreement made this inevitable

A single chip of a spinal column or a skull fragment would have closed the border; Japan warned us that the slightest infraction would be trouble. How this happened, though, is beyond understanding. They actually packed WHOLE SPINES in a shipment to Japan????

This is going to end S. Korea and others reopening too. We should have just agreed to test every animal for BSE, like the Japanese wanted us to. End of problem. But the big-buck Bushie contributors (Tyson, Cargill, etc.) opposed that because it would cost them money and perhaps create demand for tested cattle in the U.S. Companies like Creekstone, who sell upper-end beef products (natural, choice or prime) were perfectly willing to spend $20 a carcass to be able to get a huge premium on products like tongue and intestine that they can't give away in the States (tongue goes for about a buck wholesale here, $14 there).

Idiots.

[K-W]

18. Only inevitable as long as the US refuses to regulate the industry.

To prevent Mad Cow we must eliminate the opportunities for contamination in our processes. It is not unreasonable for Japan to expect us to take those steps. And yes, the US should test them, for our sake as well as the Japanese.

[seafan]

19. (Japanese) Government halts U.S. beef imports

Govt halts U.S. beef imports

The Yomiuri Shimbun

The government has decided to ban U.S. beef imports again due to the discovery that beef shipped from the country contained spine parts, which are among the body parts designated as risk material for mad cow disease, government officials said Friday.

The measure will remain until the safety of U.S. beef is reconfirmed.

The decision brings the issue of the safety of U.S. beef and its importation, which seemed settled only in December, back in question.

Washington and Tokyo are expected to come in for criticism, the former for its sloppiness, and the latter for caving in to U.S. pressure to lift the ban on imports of American beef imports.

The shipment in question arrived at Narita Airport on Friday from a meatpacker in New York State. The airport's animal quarantine department discovered that out of 41 boxes, or 390 kilograms, of U.S. calf beef, three boxes, or 55 kilograms, included spinal parts.

http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/dy/national/20060121TDY01006.htm

[Skink]

20. Organic whole foods..

If everyone would start buying them it wouldn't be neccassary for other countries to take preemtive actions like this.

[LeftyMom]

24. Organics are cool, but let's not overstate the case

Organic certified animal agriculture varies from conventional (tangent: I hate that term, because it normalizes some really nasty practices) primarily in terms of diet. There are some restrictions the use of on medications and hormones, but the big difference is that in organic production the feed has to meet the rapidly relaxing organic standards.

It's still sick, confined animals standing around in thier own shit, getting fattened up or exploited for thier reproductive products (in the case of milk and eggs) until they die painfully. Anybody who thinks they're doing thier health, the animals or the planet a big favor by switching to organic animal foods is deluding themselves.

[Skink]

26. The lowering of organic standards is a crime..

Yet another reason to impeach this president.

[seafan]

21. Japanese official: "...a serious violation of the import process."

The government lifted the import ban on condition that the spine and brain be removed since such parts cause mad cow disease, formally known as bovine spongiform encephalopathy.

All the beef will either be shipped back to the United States or burned.

snip

Koizumi ordered Nakagawa to fully discuss the matter with the health, labor and welfare minister and request a U.S. response. At a press conference earlier in the day, Nakagawa expressed his frustration that the beef shipment from the United States contained cow spine.

"It's extremely regrettable. We consider it to be a serious violation of the import process. We'll investigate the matter carefully and seek proper action by the U.S. government," Nakagawa said.

[pinniped]

22. Less beef == more scientific whale research!

.

[Hekate]

23. Thanks to Japan we Americans may end up with safer beef at home

Money is the ONLY thing the Bush *holes understand. They honestly do not give a rat's ass if the people of this or any other country end up drooling and staggering.

I'm cheering on any country whatsoever that refuses to buy our beef for health reasons.

And hey, the Japanese make good cars, too. My Toyota Camry is 15 years old and I have no plans to trade it in for anything. My husband's Tercel is at least 22 yo and he's decided to drive it until the wheels fall off. We bought both of them new, and are waiting for the US to get serious about affordable and easily available alternative fuel vehicles before we trade up.

Hekate

[OKthatsIT]

30. USDA gets an 'F'...here's the scoop 'link'

http://www.dcexaminer.com/articles/2006/01/18/business/03business19agri.txt

[leftchick]

27. AP Story is different: "Bone in Veal" is the issue.....

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060120/ap_on_go_ca_st_pe/mad_cow

<snip>

Japan's sudden order came just six weeks after the country had lifted a two-year ban on American beef. The problem this time: discovery of bone — a mad cow disease risk, Asian countries say — in a shipment of veal from a plant in New York.

Agriculture Secretary Mike Johanns called the problem "an unacceptable failure" to meet Japan's requirements. He dispatched inspectors to Japan and ordered unannounced inspections at U.S. plants.

"We are taking this matter very seriously, recognizing the importance of our beef export markets," Johanns said.

At the White House, presidential spokesman Scott McClellan said, "USDA is taking steps to address this matter."

Japan's discovery was a jarring setback for the U.S. meat industry and the Bush administration, both of which had been optimistic about the prospects of selling more beef in Asia despite lingering restrictions on U.S. products.

[formercia]

29. Send them back, they are needed in Congress

The place is full
of spineless bull.