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Japanese officials are reportedly reviewing their country's three-year-old requirement that all beef come from cattle tested for bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE).

Some U.S. beef exports could resume if Japan relaxes its BSE testing. Japan was the top export market for U.S. beef before it banned the U.S. product last December in response to a case of BSE found in the United States. "U.S. beef producers are losing $5 million in sales each day exports are closed," said Mike Pullins, vice president for OFB Development Corporation.

Japan's current blanket testing could be replaced by a requirement to test cattle older than 20 months, since all evidence points to no BSE risk from younger cattle, according to information from the U. S. Meat Export Federation (USMEF). Because most of the cattle slaughtered for beef in the United States are under 30 months old, Japan's change in the testing requirement could allow significant amounts of U.S. beef exports to resume, USMEF reported. However, U.S. and Japanese officials have yet to reach an actual agreement on lifting the ban.

"Japan is the key to reopening our (U.S.) beef exports to all of Asia," according to Pullins, who also is OFBF’s representative to USMEF.

U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary Ann Veneman has said the United States is willing to negotiate with Japan. USDA has argued that Japan should not require BSE tests on all animals younger than 30 months. But according to Tokyo reports, Japanese officials say only cattle younger than 20 months can be considered safe without testing.

USDA has said its surveillance strategy is based on the guidelines of the World Organization for Animal Health, which recommends testing high-risk cattle older than 30 months.

Japan was the largest market for U.S. beef last year, according to USMEF. Japan imported 352,448 metric tons of U.S. beef in 2003 worth about $1.3 billion. South Korea and Vietnam are also in negotiations to reopen U.S. beef imports.

USMEF is working with worldwide beef experts to present science-based information to media outlets in South Korea. "(South Korean) consumers … have exhibited anti-American sentiment as discussions about market reopening accelerate," according to USMEF. "This is largely due to the media moving its focus from food safety to trade friction between Korea and the United States. Although the number of media articles has decreased, the tone is still negative. Additionally, Korean media reports drive consumers’ negative perceptions of U.S. beef."

But in Taiwan, a survey commissioned by USMEF shows 74 percent of consumers there are likely to buy and eat U.S. beef after the import ban is lifted. Less than half the people in the survey said that news reports on BSE strongly influenced their beef buying in restaurants and supermarkets.

"For the most part, consumers around the world want U.S. beef," Pullins said. An announcement concerning Japan's easing the ban on imports of U.S. beef could come this month, according to American Farm Bureau.

USDA has been in discussions with Japan concerning its ban since last December, and a U.S.-Japan Technical BSE Working Group has met three times this year to achieve a better understanding of the technical issues involved in BSE. One U.S. beef exporter proposed testing all its animals to meet Japan’s requirements, but USDA denied the firm’s request, according to Pullins.

Japanese officials announced their country's 12^th case of BSE in September, the third case this year. Japan found its first case in 2001, which was the first case outside Europe.