Source:  Tom Johnston, MEATINGPLACE.COM, 6/2/10                  

U.S. and Japanese officials have postponed beef trade discussions amid an outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease in Japan, according to a report by the Jiji Press.

Japan's farm minister, Hirotaka Akamatsu, is quoted as saying the United States proposed holding talks last month but Japan took a pass in order to concentrate on containing the disease, the report said.

Akamatsu and U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack agreed in April to resume discussions aimed at easing restrictions on U.S. beef imports.

As of late May, Tokyo had designated for culling more than 118,000 animals, including cows and pigs, from more than 130 farms.

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