March 3, 2009

US beef exports to Japan this year are projected to increase 35 percent on-year, as meat that conforms to Japan's trade rules grows in supply, an industry official said Monday (Mar 2).

Japan is expected to import 100,000 tonnes of US beef this year, up from 74,000 tonnes last year, as there will be more age-verifiable cattle eligible for exports, said Philip Seng, President and CEO of the US Meat Export Federation.

Seng said the forecast was based on Japan's trade rule of accepting only US beef from cattle aged 20 months or young, and it is hoped that the US and Japanese governments could resolve this issue in the near future as the policy limits the beef trade.

Japan banned imports of US beef in 2003 after the US reported a case of mad cow disease, but restrictions were eased after negotiations. However, the forecast for 2009 is still only a fraction of the 240,000 tonnes the US exported to Japan in 2003.

The US has been pressing Japan to lift the age limit to 30 months.

In addition, Japan imported over 451,000 tonnes of US pork in 2008.