US beef suspended

Japan suspended beef imports from a US meatpacking plant yesterday, saying recent shipments from the facility contained tendons that were not properly identified on accompanying papers.

Japan banned American beef imports over mad cow fears more than three years ago, but has eased restrictions to allow imported meat from young cattle as long as certain bones and the spinal cord are removed and the meat has been processed at selected plants.

Imports from Cargill Inc's plant in Dodge City, Kansas, will be suspended because 225 boxes of a recent nine-ton shipment contained the suspect tendons.

(China Daily 10/18/2007 page10)