和牛をトップセールス　江藤農水相、中国大使と工場視察―宮崎

　日本の和牛は安心・安全―。江藤拓農林水産相は１１日、中国の孔鉉佑駐日大使とともに宮崎県にある最新鋭の食肉加工工場を視察した。高水準の衛生管理体制を中国側にアピールし、和牛の対中輸出再開を早期に実現させたい考えだ。
　訪れたのは、４月に稼働した食肉加工大手ミヤチクの都農工場（宮崎県都農町）。米国や欧州連合（ＥＵ）向けに牛肉輸出ができる国際的な衛生管理認証を取得している。
　肉の処理室や保管庫を視察した孔大使は「素晴らしい（施設）。宮崎牛を含む日本の農産品が中国国民の食卓に届くよう誠意ある努力をする」と評価。江藤農水相は今回の視察によって、「（輸出再開手続きが）加速化されることを期待する」と述べた。（2019/12/11-18:30）

Japanese agriculture minister Taku Eto stressed the safety of "wagyu" beef to China during a visit to a cutting-edge meat-processing plant with high hygiene control standards on Wednesday, as Tokyo hopes to resume exports of the Japanese beef to China at an early date.
   Eto visited the plant run by major Japanese meat-processing company Miyachiku in the town of Tsuno, Miyazaki Prefecture, southwestern Japan, with Chinese Ambassador to Japan Kong Xuanyou. The plant, which started operations in April, has acquired an international hygiene control certification, allowing beef exports to the United States and the European Union.
   After inspecting the meat-processing room and storeroom, Kong praised the facility and said that he will make sincere efforts so that Japanese farm products, including Miyazaki beef, will reach the dining tables of Chinese people.
   Eto said he hopes the visit will help accelerate China's procedures to resume beef imports from Japan.
   Currently, China bans beef imports from Japan over mad cow disease, formally called bovine spongiform encephalopathy, or BSE. Tokyo and Beijing last month signed an agreement on animal health and quarantine, meeting one of the conditions for China to lift the ban. China is expected to resume imports of Japanese beef after necessary conditions are set and related meat-processing facilities are certified.