The economic fallout from the mad cow case in Washington state has begun. Japan is the first of what is expected to be many countries to block imports of US beef. A case of Mad Cow in Canada earlier this year was devastating to the industry there. From
Reuters:
TOKYO, Dec 24 (Reuters) - Japan has temporarily halted imports of beef products from the United States after the first U.S. case of mad cow disease was found in a sick animal in Washington state, officials at the Agriculture Ministry in Tokyo said on Wednesday.
The officials said the ministry's quarantine offices had temporarily stopped issuing import certificates for U.S. beef products.
U.S. Agriculture Secretary Ann Veneman said the brain-wasting disease was discovered in a Holstein cow in Washington state. The animal was a "downer", one that is too sick to walk, she said.
Japan is one of the top importers of U.S. beef.
It will be interesting to see whether, and to what extent, Bush will extend subsidies to the beef industry, as well as to the corn and wheat industries that sell much of their grain as livestock feed.