The government lifted a ban on imports of U.S. and Canadian beef last week. The ban had been in force for Canadian beef since the discovery in May 2003 of a case of bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE), popularly known as mad cow disease, in that country. The ban on U.S. beef followed in December of the same year when BSE was found in a U.S. cow born in Canada. Now, the duty to enforce preventive measures rests with U.S. and Canadian authorities. The Japanese government, for its part, must make sure that the two countries fulfill their duty.

The government's decision is based on a final report of a BSE panel of the Cabinet Office's Food Safety Commission. The decision states that U.S. and Canadian beef will be as safe as domestic beef if the following conditions are met: Slaughtered cattle for export to Japan are less than 21 months old, and special risk materials (SRM) such as brains and spinal cords are removed. (Prions, the infectious agents of BSE, exist in high concentration in these parts.)

What is most important about the report is that it does not scientifically ensure the safety of North American beef. The health and agriculture ministries asked only that the panel assess BSE risks if the United States and Canada exported beef under 21 months old with SRM removed. The report concludes that BSE risks are extremely small if it is assumed that export programs will strictly follow preventive measures.