Tokyo – The Japanese government will officially approve resuming U.S. beef imports from selected meat-processing plants today, easing a blanket ban imposed earlier this year over mad-cow fears, officials said.
The approval will come after a strategy meeting of the agriculture ministry, where officials will debate when to start accepting beef shipments and other details, according to ministry official Hiroaki Ogura.
The ruling Liberal Democratic Party agreed Wednesday to resume imports from selected facilities after being briefed by government officials who recently inspected U.S. meat-processing plants.
Japanese inspectors toured 35 plants, including four owned by Greeley-based Swift & Co., to find out whether they meet Japanese guidelines on mad cow disease.
