Here We Go Again

Things were sure exciting yesterday. Didn't get a chance to comment yesterday so here goes.<br />n<br />n<a href="http://www.billingsgazette.com//index.php?id=1&display=rednews/2006/01/20/build/world/20-japanmadcow.inc">Japan halts U.S. beef imports due to fears of mad cow</a><br />n<br />n<blockquote>Just 5 1/2 weeks after lifting its ban on U.S. beef, Japan slammed the door shut again Friday, saying a recent shipment contained material it considered at risk for mad cow disease.<br />n<br />n"This is a pity given that imports had just resumed," Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi told reporters. "I received the agriculture minister's report over the telephone with his recommendation that the imports be halted and I think it is a good idea."<br />n<br />nThe Japanese government plans to halt the imports until it receives a report from the U.S. government on how the risky material got into the shipment, an Agriculture Ministry statement said.<br />n<br />nThe statement said ministry inspectors found material from cattle backbone in three out of 41 boxes in a 858 pound shipment of beef from Atlantic Veal &amp; Lamb Inc. All of the beef in the shipment was destroyed, the statement said. </blockquote><br />n<br />n[sarcasm]First off I would like to thank Atlantic Veal &amp; Lamb Inc. for doing this to the beef industry. What a way to inspire trust in the beef industry for Japanese consumers. You single handedly set back all the progress was making with your bone headed way of doing buisness.[/sarcasm]<br />n<br />nSecond, American beef is safe. In the agreement that opened up Japan for imports certain materials weren't allowed and they were discovered in this shipment. There is no indication that <acronym title="Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy">BSE</acronym> was in the shipment or there was any risk to consumers. The beef in question was from an animal under 20 months of age and there has never been any <acronym title="Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy">BSE</acronym> discovered in an animal this young so the risk were virtually non-existent. Part of the agreement wasn't being followed and Japan called us on it.<br />n<br />nThird, the impact to the beef industry is negligible in that not much beef was being exported yet so the border being closed again doesn't affect us to bad. The damage to our reputation though is great and may be harder to overcome. Only time will tell.<br />n<br />nHow does the <acronym title="United States Department of Agriculture, Bought and Paid for by The Big Meat Packers">USDA</acronym> respond to this?<br />n<br />n<blockquote>STATEMENT BY AGRICULTURE SECRETARY MIKE JOHANNS REGARDING U.S. BEEF EXPORTS TO JAPAN<br />n <br />n<br />nJanuary 20, 2006<br />n<br />n"We take this matter very seriously and we are conducting a thorough investigation.<br />n<br />n"I have talked with Ambassador Kato and I expressed our regret and informed him of our actions. I also offered to provide in writing an outline of our actions and the results of our investigation into this matter.<br />n<br />n"Under U.S. regulations, the backbone, or vertebral column, that was exported to Japan is not a specified risk material because it was in beef under 30 months. However, our agreement with Japan is to export beef with no vertebral column and we have failed to meet the terms of that agreement.<br />n<br />n"I am dispatching a team of <acronym title="United States Department of Agriculture, Bought and Paid for by The Big Meat Packers">USDA</acronym> inspectors to Japan to work with Japanese inspectors to reexamine every shipment currently awaiting approval, to confirm compliance with the requirements of our export agreement with Japan.<br />n<br />n"I have directed that additional <acronym title="United States Department of Agriculture, Bought and Paid for by The Big Meat Packers">USDA</acronym> inspectors be sent to every plant that is approved to export beef to review procedures and ensure compliance with our export agreements and I am requiring that two <acronym title="United States Department of Agriculture, Bought and Paid for by The Big Meat Packers">USDA</acronym> inspectors review every shipment of U.S. beef for export to confirm that compliance. I have also ordered unannounced inspections at every plant approved for beef export.<br />n<br />n"These additional inspection requirements in the U.S. will be applied to all processing plants approved for beef export and all beef shipments designated for export from the U.S.<br />n<br />n"I am also requiring that all <acronym title="United States Department of Agriculture, Bought and Paid for by The Big Meat Packers">USDA</acronym> beef inspectors undergo additional training to make certain they are fully aware of all export agreement requirements. And, I have directed my staff to coordinate a meeting of representatives from all U.S. processing plants that export beef to review those requirements.<br />n<br />n"While this is not a food safety issue, this is an unacceptable failure on our part to meet the requirements of our agreement with Japan. We take this matter seriously, recognizing the importance of our beef export market, and we are acting swiftly and firmly."</blockquote><br />n<br />nI'm not going to argue with this response. You can see that somebody very familiar with Japanese customs wrote it. Normally in America you don't see such a frank admission of wrongdoing and such an apology for the problem. In Japan this goes a long way to mending the fence and by their cultural standards is being handled very well.<br />n<br />nThis all brings me to a little problem though. What's the problem? The <acronym title="United States Department of Agriculture, Bought and Paid for by The Big Meat Packers">USDA</acronym> itself. They don't regulate the packers like they are supposed as shown in a <a href="http://nowherethoughts.net/sarpysam/archives/1478-The-<acronym title="United States Department of Agriculture, Bought and Paid for by The Big Meat Packers">USDA</acronym>-is-Out-of-Control.html">recent report</a> which I've discussed and now we have this case where they allow banned material to be included in a shipment of beef to Japan. What else is their lax standards allowing into our food system? I hate to ask such a question but at this point I have to. The meat packers wield such influence over the <acronym title="United States Department of Agriculture, Bought and Paid for by The Big Meat Packers">USDA</acronym> it really makes a person wonder what is going on over there.<br />n<br />nAtlantic Veal &amp; Lamb Inc. might have been the culprit of this beef ban but the real problem lies in the <acronym title="United States Department of Agriculture, Bought and Paid for by The Big Meat Packers">USDA</acronym> and it's cozy relationship with all meat packers. An out of control government agency that doesn't watch the industry it has been tasked to watch is hurting all of the beef industry. <br />n<br />n<b>You must accept the truth from whatever source it comes. Maimonides</b>