TOKYO, Feb. 7 — Japan may conditionally lift bans on imports of British beef this year, ending a 22-year old ban after a 1986 outbreak of mad cow disease in the UK.
On Feb. 6, the Cabinet Offices committee on food safety approved a report warranting the safety of British beef.
The committee concluded that it would be safe to eat British beef if it comes from cattle under 30 months old and risky parts of beef cows, such as tonsils, marrow and spine, should be removed after the animal is slaughtered.
The health ministry will soon dispatch officials to the UK to inspect beef processing factories that have a veterinarian onsite to supervise the process.
Tokyo banned imports of British beef in 1996 because of the risk they might be infected with bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE).
As of November 2017, some 190,000 cattle were found infected with BSE worldwide, and more than 180,000 head were raised in the UK.