February 11, 2016

US beef exports to Japan fall 19%, first in more than a decade

A first in 11 years, US beef exports to Japan declined - by 19% to close to US$1.3 billion - on-year in 2015, with Australia's beef gaining an edge over the market, The Japan Times reported.

The last drop in that export trade happened in 2004 following an outbreak of bovine spongiform encephalopathy, or BSE.

A 2014 economic pact between Japan and Australia provides the impetus for rising Aussie beef deliveries to Japan, the result of a "tariff advantage", according to the US Meat Export Federation.

Despite the recent fall in trade, the development may encourage the expedition of the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) multilateral free trade agreement coming into effect, which the US and Japan are a part of.

Last year, US pork exports to Japan also performed weakly, dropping 18% to around US$1.6 billion, the lowest level since 2009.

European suppliers are identified by the federation as rival exporters in the pork trade to the country.

On a worldwide scale, US beef exports had slid 12% to US$6.3 million while pork fell 16% to close to US$5.6 billion.