January 22, 2013

US beef may see re-entry to Japan by March 2013

Re-entry of US beef to Japan, from animals older than 20 months of age, may occur by March 1.

Important regulatory meetings being held in Japan are being tipped as a possible catalyst for an official Japanese Government announcement sometime this week.

US beef exporters have suffered a decade-long trade access block into Japan since the discovery of BSE in the US in 2003.

The market remained closed until a partial re-opening in July 2006, accessible only by US beef from animals less than 20 months of age, based on Japanese concerns that older animals might carry higher BSE risk.

Over the past five years, US trade and political representatives have applied considerable pressure on their Japanese equivalents, based on global standards for BSE risk and age of animals at slaughter, set by the OIE.

US beef shipments to Japan have increased steadily in recent years but remain only a fraction of what they were prior to the BSE-related ban.

In 2011, US exports were about 160,000 tonnes, compared to 400,000 tonnes of muscle meat and offals in 2003.