Japan bans animal-based feed imports from EU
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TOKYO: A senior agriculture ministry official said on Thursday Japan had decided to ban all imports of meat-based animal feed from the European Union because of growing concerns over mad cow disease, Kyodo news agency said.

Vice-minister Yuki Takagi said the ban would take effect from January but did not specify how long it would last.

However, Kyodo said the ban was expected to continue until the disease, bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE), is eradicated in Europe.

The ministry also plans to enhance pathological tests of cows in Japan and direct farmers not to give feed made from cows or sheep to cows, sheep and other ruminants, Kyodo said.

The ministry, together with the health and welfare ministry, said on Wednesday that they would consider whether to take action against imports from the EU of beef and processed beef products.

The move follows an agreement among EU farm ministers earlier this month to impose a six-month ban, from January 1, on the use of meat and bonemeal products for animal feed in a bid to halt the spread of BSE.

No cases have yet been reported in Japan.

Japan prohibited imports of beef and beef products from Britain, where BSE is a major concern, in 1996, an official said.

Since then, the ministry had advised Japan's cattle industry not to use feed made from meat and bonemeal, he said.

Last year, Japan imported 130,000 tonnes of meat and bonemeal for animal-feed use, accounting for about 30 per cent of consumption, mainly from New Zealand, Australia and Argentina.

Only 18,475 tonnes came from Europe, mostly from Italy.

In September, 33,692 tonnes of meat and bonemeal were used to produce 1,914,185 tonnes of animal feed, according to government statistics.

The health ministry said on Tuesday it had decided to ban the use of ingredients derived from cows, sheep and other animals from 29 countries in pharmaceutical products and cosmetics as a precautionary step against mad cow disease.

The use of animal-derived ingredients from nine countries -- including Britain, Switzerland, France and Oman -- that have been hit by BSE, would be prohibited, the ministry said in a statement. The ban includes another 20 countries considered to be at high risk of a BSE outbreak. (Reuters)