The United States will restart importing beef from Japan this month, ending a two-year suspension imposed after foot-and-mouth disease was found in Japanese cows, the farm ministry in Tokyo said.
Imports into the U.S., which were halted in April 2010 after the discovery of Japanese cows infected with the virus, will resume on Aug. 17, Japan's farm ministry said in a statement released on Friday.
"The United States (will) resume imports from Japan from Aug. 17 onwards, acknowledging that (Japan) is clean from foot-and-mouth disease," the ministry said.
The value of Japan's beef exports to the United States was 1.08 billion yen ($13.74 million) in 2007, but fell to 210 million yen in 2010 when imports were suspended, the Yomiuri newspaper said.
To read the rest of the story, please go to: Reuters
