July 9, 2007

Japan's US beef imports rise to 50 percent in June

Relaxed inspection process has hiked US beef exports to Japan by 4,311 tonnes in June, or fifty percent more in May, according to the Ministry of Agriculture.

The regulation to inspect every box containing beef from the US had taken effect after the Japanese government lifted an import ban on US beef due to mad cow disease detected in US cattle in 2003.

Increased orders ahead of the peak demand summer season also likely helped boost import levels.

However, June volume was still about one-fifth of levels before the import ban was implemented. Before US imports were shut down, Japan took in about 20,000 tonnes of beef a month.