Japan Wants Assurances For U.S. Beef
WASHINGTON - Japan will resume imports of U.S. beef only if Washington can convince Tokyo that it will implement effective safeguards against mad cow disease, a top Japanese official said Tuesday. Source: KUTV

Canadian Tests Find no More BSE Cases in Herd
WINNIPEG - The Canadian Food Inspection Agency said Friday there were no additional cases of mad cow disease found in the herdmates of an Alberta cow that tested positive for the brain-wasting condition, and none of the animals left the country....

Germany Amending BSE Testing Law
WASHINGTON - Germany will raise the age at which slaughtered cattle are tested for bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) from 24 to 30 months in April to bring its laws into line with those for the European Union. Source: AgReport Farm...

Two BSE cases detected in Ireland
Two more BSE cases have been identified in Ireland. They are in dairy cattle, aged 11 and 12 years in counties Clare and Galway. The total number of cases so far this year is 12. Source: UTV Internet

U.S. Tests 605,000 Cattle for Mad Cow
US - In June 2004, six months after the United States reported its first case of bovine spongiform encephalopathy in a cow in Washington State, the Agriculture Department (USDA) expanded its testing program for the brain-destroying disease....

US slaughterhouses processed cattle unable to walk
JAPAN - Government officials hinted Thursday at a further delay in resuming U.S. beef imports following a disturbing report by the U.S. Department of Agriculture that 20 sickly cattle were processed for human consumption. The animals in question...

Japan Ag Official: U.S. Must Explain Cattle With BSE Symptoms
JAPAN - A senior Japanese agricultural official said Thursday that the U.S. needs to explain reports of "downer" cattle - animals displaying symptoms thought to indicate mad-cow disease - being used for meat in the U.S in order to...

Dozens of new BSE cases suspected in Japan
JAPAN - Media reports out of Tokyo warn that Japan may now be dealing with more than forty new cases of bovine spongiform encephalopathy. According to Japanese wire reports, a farm in Hokkaido is suspected of having 45 cows that are positive...

BSE cow was fed banned bone meal
JAPAN - A cow that died last month as Japan`s 22nd confirmed case of mad cow disease had been fed meat-and-bone meal, a Japanese official has said. This is the first known use of meat-and-bone meal in Japan since it was banned in 2001 due to...

Johanns seeks to resolve Japanese beef ban
US - Speaking to nearly 5,000 cattle producers at last week's Cattle Industry Convention and Trade Show in Denver, Colo., U.S. Agriculture Secretary Mike Johanns called the latest Japanese ban on U.S. beef a "temporary setback." He...

Canadian officials trace 67 herdmates of BSE cow
CANADa - The Canadian Food Inspection Agency said on Friday it has traced 67 herdmates of an Alberta cow that tested positive for mad cow disease as it investigates Canada's latest case of the deadly brain-wasting condition. "At this point...

Japan sorry for not fully inspecting US beef plants
JAPAN - Japan should have more thoroughly inspected US cattle facilities before easing a ban on American beef last month, Japan’s agriculture minister said today. Shoichi Nakagawa apologised in parliament for the lack of inspections. Japanese...

Tests on cattle from Alberta farm where new BSE case found negative: CFIA
ALBERTA - Tests on 25 cattle from an Alberta farm where the latest case of mad cow disease was found are negative, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency says. The test group included 24 cattle born on the farm 12 months before or after the infected...

BSE confirmed but will not affect border
CANADA - A new case of mad cow disease was confirmed in Alberta over the weekend, but officials are saying it will not affect the beef and cattle export industry. The Canada Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) confirmed bovine spongiform encephalopathy...

Canada confirms fourth mad cow case
CANADA - Canada has confirmed it has had a fourth case of mad cow disease, just as its cattle industry starts to recover from export trade bans. The US says it will keep its northern border with Canada open, despite the outbreak on a dairy farm...

S.Korea delays Canada meet after new mad cow case
SOUTH KOREA - South Korea said on Tuesday it had decided to delay a working group meeting with Canada to discuss resuming Canadian beef imports, after Canada confirmed a new case of mad cow disease. The Canadian Food Inspection Agency said on...

Canada's new mad cow case draws mixed reactions in US
CANADA - While some U.S. cattle industry groups called for halting cattle and beef trade with Canada after a new case of mad cow disease was confirmed there, the U.S. secretary of agriculture said suspension of trade is unlikely. Canadian Food...

Japan pushes U.S. for explanation on beef
JAPAN - Japan said on Monday it would not resume U.S. beef imports without an explanation of how banned spinal material, believed to carry a high risk of causing a human form of mad cow disease, came to be found in a shipment of U.S. meat last...

U.S. bids to allay Japan beef row
US - American agriculture officials will discuss Japan's latest ban on American beef during a visit next week, a U.S. Embassy official has said, after a U.S. beef shipment sparked mad cow fears and prompted Tokyo to again halt imports. The delegation,...

Japan finds BSE risk parts in US beef imports
JAPAN - Japan is considering stopping all imports of U.S. beef - just a month after lifting a ban on the meat - after finding risk materials that could cause mad cow disease in a shipment from New York on Friday. A total of 390 kg (860 lb) of...