October 3, 2006

 

Japanese acceptance levels of US beef close to pre-ban levels
 

 

It seems that weeks of campaigning and high-profile visits by top level US agricultural officials have paid off as Japanese consumers are finally warming up to US beef, a nationwide survey showed.

 

A national study of Japanese consumers by Tokyo-based research company Macromill for the US Meat Export Federation (USMEF) showed more than half supported the government's decision to resume US beef imports and roughly the same number were open to ordering US beef in restaurants or grocery stores.

 

A quarter said they would probably buy US beef if they saw friends and neighbours doing so.

 

Phil Seng, chief executive of USMEF hailed the news and said it meant that the US is close to recovering three-quarters of its former customers, adding that research before the beef ban in 2003 showed basically the same figure.

 

Seng, who returned from a visit to Japan, said that public opinion is changing rapidly, with the media now being more favourable towards US beef. He also added that most traders are now concerned only about price and availability and are no longer doubtful about whether US beef would sell based on safety concerns. 

 

While demand has largely been positive, many buyers do not want to take up US beef as yet until supplies are on a firmer footing, he said.

 

Meanwhile, the US is urging Japan to raised the beef acceptance level to those below 30 months of age instead of the current 20 months.

 

However, with a new cabinet just installed, the US may be waiting for them to settle in before pressing them on the issue.

 

Seng also hinted that the beef talks may shift away from the public eye after being scrutinised for much of the year. With the mad cow issue dominating the press for so long, both sides have preferred to move talks away from the press, he said.

 

Seng has known new Agriculture Secretary Minister Toshikatsu Matsuoka for several years, and rated him as a "more balanced" minister.

 

In a speech shortly after his appointment last week, Matsuoka set three priorities, one of whom, most tellingly, was to develop a more "give-and-take" strategy with trade partners, a sign the US is now interpreting as a step towards Japan taking a more open and reciprocal attitude towards the beef trade.