TOKYO - Japan has confirmed that a 109-month-old cow raised on the northernmost island of Hokkaido had mad cow disease, marking the country's 19th case, the Healthy Ministry said on Thursday. The meat and organs from the slaughtered cow will be burnt and not enter the supply chain, the ministry said in a news release.
The discovery marked the fifth case of the brain-wasting disease, also known as bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE), found in Japan this year.
Japan decided last month to revise its policy and stop checking all cattle for BSE, amid mounting pressure from the United States to ease a ban on American beef.
Formal procedures remain until the universal testing policy is dropped, however.
"We are still conducting tests on all cattle for BSE," a Healthy Ministry official said.
Under the new policy, Japan will exclude cattle younger than 21 months from BSE checks.
The decision was made as part of a move to resume purchases of American beef, banned by Japan after the discovery of a case of mad cow disease in the United States in December 2003.
Japan has agreed to ease the ban, but several steps remain before imports can resume, and no timetable has been set for the actual resumption of trade.
REUTERS NEWS SERVICE
