January 11, 2008

 

China issues request to Japan to help stop beef smuggling

 

 

China has asked Japan to take measures to stem the rising number of smuggling cases where Japanese beef was brought into China.

 

The Chinese government filed the request with the Japanese government in December, according to Kyodo News.

 

The issue came to light after several airline passengers were caught trying to smuggling Japanese beef into China in suitcases or carry-on luggage, with some having carried up to 20 kg of beef.

 

China banned the import of Japanese beef in September 2001.

 

The Japanese Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries notified its Animal Quarantine Service offices last month to alert airlines and related entities.

 

There has been heightened demand for high quality foods in China as the population grows more affluent in the midst of an economic boom. The trend towards food safety also heightened after high profile cases of lapses in food safety standards were discovered in China's exports last year.

 

Metropolitan areas like Shanghai also houses huge populations of Japanese businessmen willing to pay a high premium for Japanese beef.

 

Japanese beef has long enjoyed a reputation of safety and quality. The high prices it commands in the Chinese market also led to increased incidences of beef smuggling.

 

Chinese authorities are said to have confiscated a total of 3 tonnes of beef smuggled in by airline passengers in the five months from June to November last year.

 

Japanese laws also forbid taking beef out of Japan without quarantine checks, a farm ministry official told Kyodo News.