"The United States (will) resume imports from Japan from Aug. 17 onwards, acknowledging that (Japan) is clean from foot-and-mouth disease," the ministry said.
Japan has halted beef imports from a Tyson Fresh Meats plant in Hillsdale, Ill., after finding meat that could not be confirmed to comply with its restrictions.
The import and export industry had a tough 2009 with total shipments being down more than 12 percent from 2008 and far below that when compared to 2007. The carrier industry struggled mightily as the economic downturn was compounded by a slew of new vessels coming on line as shipping volumes tanked around the world.
