Japan allows beef imports from 35th US facility

TOKYO, Aug 15 (Reuters) Japan has decided to allow beef imports from a 35th authorised US processing plant after the facility cleared checks by Japanese authorities, the farm and health ministries said today.

The Brawley Beef plant in California was the last of those authorised by the US government as suppliers to Japan to receive Tokyo's approval following a ban over mad cow disease.

The plant was the only one of the 35 that could not immediately resume beef exports following Japan's decision in late last month July to lift the ban.

''The US government has been informed of the decision,'' a Japanese Agriculture Ministry official said.

Inspectors decided the plant met Japan's safety requirements following extra inspections conducted from August 7-12.

At the time another facility, the American Foods Group plant in Green Bay, Wisconsin, was allowed to begin supplying Japan on condition the US government put the processor under close supervision.

Today's statement said the Wisconsin plant also met Japanese requirements.

Japan first imposed a ban on imports of US beef in December 2003 following the discovery of the first US case of mad cow disease.

The second ban came on January 20, just a month after Japan had lifted the two-year-old ban after Japanese inspectors found forbidden material in a veal shipment from a New York company.

Last week US beef returned to the Japanese market, with a US firm selling the first shipment of US meat amounting to about five tonnes.

Japan was once the top importer of US beef, buying 240,000 tonnes valued at 1.4 billion dollars in 2003. The volume accounted for nearly 30 per cent of total beef supplies in Japan.

Despite the resumption, Japanese consumers are still reluctant to eat American beef due to persistent fears that they might catch a human version of mad cow disease.

The Yomiuri Shimbun reported on Saturday that 80 per cent of those surveyed by the newspaper said they were concerned about the safety of US beef.

Of 1,741 people polled, 45 per cent said they did not want to eat US beef and 43 per cent said they wanted to think about it before deciding. Only 10 percent said they wanted to eat it.

Separately, a consumer group survey on Friday found that only one Japanese food firm out of 21 planned to use American beef.

Yoshinoya D&C Co. Ltd , famous for its beef rice bowl menu, has decided to use US beef, the Food Safety Citizen Watch said. Five other firms said they might use the beef.

REUTERS MS RN1257