July 17, 2003

Annual Survey Reveals Fewer Beef And Diary Farmers In Japan

Japan's Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (MAFF) has revealed the number of both beef and dairy farmers has fallen in Japan.

This annual study showed the number of beef farms decreased 3.9% to 29,800, at April 30 2003, with the number of beef farmers falling 5.9% to 98,100.

The number of head on beef farms in Japan fell 1.2% to 2.8 million, with the number of dairy animals for beef consumption falling 2.4% to 1.1 million.

The number of beef cattle remained stable on 1.7 million. The Japanese beef industry is continuing to consolidate, with farm sizes increasing to 29 head per farm, and the number of beef farmers continuing to fall.

Source: Meat & Livestock Association, Australia