July 16, 2010

Japan's FMD containment progresses steadily

The containment of foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) is progressing in Japan, with movement restrictions in the infected areas gradually being removed.

The unprecedented FMD outbreak in the Miyazaki prefecture has seen almost 200,000 cattle and pigs culled since April 20. This has resulted in significant damage to the local livestock industry, as well as halting Japan's Wagyu beef exports (due to a self-imposed beef export ban). The export ban is still in place, except to Hong Kong and Macao.

Japan's Shokuniku Sokuho has reported that the entire Miyazaki prefecture will become restriction free on July 16, provided there is no further FMD case reported. The last case was found on June 18.

In 2009, Miyazaki was the third largest prefecture for beef cattle in Japan, supplying about 15 per cent of all Japanese black Wagyu calves to feeders nationwide.

There has been no evidence so far to confirm that the outbreak has affected beef consumption, or beef supplies, in Japan.