02/09/05 Japanese experts accept age verification

American Rancher February 9, 2005 A panel of Japanese technical experts yesterday accepted the U.S. grading system as an appropriate means to determine the age of cattle. The Japanese had previously agreed in principle to accept beef from U.S. cattle under 21 months of age and that Japanese panel of experts now says, yes, U.S. graders can accurately determine whether an animal is over 20 months of age. Deputy Undersecretary of Agriculture Chuck Lambert, explains how graders do it. Lambert: "Our graders are able to see where cartilage is normally present in young animals. And that cartilage gradually turns to bone as those animals gradually get older. So our graders can very accurately determine the point at which cartilage is present in the carcass that will assure that these animals are 21 months of age or younger." Of course Lambert cautions that mere acceptance by the Japanese experts that it can be done by that process does not mean that Japanese regulators will go for the idea. Lambert: "The Japanese need to accept the age verification, whether it is through actual records or through the grading system, as means to reopening their market." A market that was the biggest export market for U.S. beef until the Japanese shut it down because of that one case of BSE in a cow of Canadian origin. I'm Bob Hoff.