U.S. works with beef importers

ASSOCIATED PRESS

The Bush administration is trying to reassure Japan and other foreign customers of American beef while awaiting further tests on a suspected case of mad cow disease.

Routine testing indicated the possible presence of mad cow disease in a U.S. cow, the Agriculture Department announced Saturday. Results from more detailed testing at department laboratories in Ames, Iowa, are expected this week.

In the meantime, Washington is working to satisfy concerns from overseas trading partners.

“We’re certainly keeping them informed of the situation and will relay all the information we have,” department spokesman Ed Loyd said yesterday. “When we have further test results, we will share that with our trading partners.”

Japan halted U.S. beef shipments in January after finding veal cuts with backbone — cuts that are eaten in the U.S. but not in Asia. Japan had been the top customer of American beef before the first U.S. case of mad cow disease prompted a ban, which Japan had lifted only recently.

Agriculture Secretary Mike Johanns met Friday with his Japanese counterpart, Shoichi Nakagawa, while they were in London for global trade meetings. Mr. Johanns intended to brief Mr. Nakagawa about the suspected case of mad cow disease before leaving London, Mr. Loyd said.

Mr. Johanns expects to send a formal response in the coming week to lingering questions Japan has about the prohibited shipment of veal.

The secretary, who testified last week on Capitol Hill about budget matters, said lawmakers are eager for trade to resume, Mr. Johanns said.

“I spoke candidly with Minister Nakagawa about the eagerness among lawmakers to resolve the beef-export issue with Japan,” Mr. Johanns said Friday.

Whether the animal was infected affects issues other than trade.

The department has been deciding whether to scale back its higher level of testing for mad cow disease. Testing was increased from about 55 to 1,000 daily after the first case of mad cow disease in 2003. As of Friday, 644,603 of the nation’s estimated 95 million head of cattle had been tested under the enhanced level of testing.

It was this testing that turned up the suspect case. The department would not say where the cow was raised.

A preliminary test by a contract lab indicated that mad cow disease may have been present — the department calls this an “inconclusive” result — and brain samples were sent to department labs for two types of more detailed tests.

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