May 26, 2016

Japan has lifted its ban on Italian beef, which had been in place for 15 years. Earlier, starting in 2013, Japan opened its market to beef products from other EU member states France, Ireland, the Netherlands, Poland, Denmark and Sweden.

"The fact that Japan continues to approve beef exports from EU member states is a great success of the European trade diplomacy. All Commission services, together with the EU Delegation to Japan, have been working towards an opening of the Japanese market for EU beef and beef products from all EU countries interested in exports," Food Safety Commissioner Vytenis Andriukaitis, Trade Commissioner Cecilia Malmström and Agriculture Commissioner Phil Hogan said in a joint statement.

Japan introduced an import ban on beef from the EU in 2001 due to an alleged risk of bovine spongiform encephalopathy, more known as mad cow disease.

The European Commission (EC) claimed that the beef embargoes went beyond the international standards set by the World Organisation for Animal Health, and did not consider the EU's stringent control and surveillance measures guaranteeing the safety of European beef and beef products.

The three commissioners said that all EC services, together with the EU Delegation to Japan, have been working toward an opening of the Japanese market to EU beef and beef products from all EU countries interested in exports. "We look forward to seeing Japan opening its market to beef from the rest of the EU in the near future", they said.

Beef exports from EU member states were worth €4.7 billion in 2015.