U.S. Senator Ken Salazar Member of the Agriculture, Energy and Veterans Affairs Committees 2300 15^th Street, Suite 450 Denver, CO 80202 | 702 Hart Senate Building, Washington, D.C. 20510
For Immediate Release November 2, 2005		CONTACT: Cody Wertz – Press Secretary 202-228-3630 Jen Clanahan – Deputy Press Secretary 303-455-7600
Sen. Salazar Responds to Today’s ‘Moo-ve’ By Japan Towards Re-Opening Its Borders to U.S. Beef Imports WASHINGTON, D.C. – United States Senator Ken Salazar today released the following statement on Japan’s Food Safety Commission declaring U.S. beef is safe from mad-cow disease: “Only days after introducing legislation that I cosponsored with twenty of my colleagues from both sides of the aisle, Japan’s Food Safety Commission has declared that U.S. beef is safe, something we have known all along. This is extremely good news and I hope that the Food Safety Commission's timeframe is correct and the ban is lifted by December. That being said, our legislation will continue to move forward until the ban is lifted.” According to media reports, on Wednesday, Japan’s Food Safety Commission approved a report confirming that the risk of mad cow disease infection from American beef is extremely low and little different from the risks posed by Japanese beef. This approved report now will be subject to through public hearings until November 29. After the hearings, the Health and Agriculture Ministries can make their official recommendations to the Japanese government on the future of Japan’s ban on U.S. beef imports. # # #