TOKYO, Aug 9: Japan’s farm ministry confirmed that it has reached a deal on beef imports from the United States, which had been threatened by Japanese concerns about mad cow disease in Canada, Kyodo news agency said on Saturday.

Under the agreement, the United States will issue certificates for its beef exports stating the meat is US-produced, Kyodo said. Japan will have the right to refuse any imports of beef without such certification, the agency added.

“A reliable system has been established in order to prevent Canadian beef from being shipped to Japan via the US,” Kyodo quoted Hiroshi Nakagawa, an official at the agriculture ministry as saying.

Japan, the largest foreign market for US beef, banned meat imports from Canada after a case of mad cow disease was discovered there in May.

The US Department of Agriculture is to hold a meeting on Monday in Kansas City, Missouri, to explain to the beef industry and exporters how the scheme will work. Japan bought nearly 250,000 tons of US beef in 2002, down about 25 per cent from the previous year.—Reuters