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Japan could ease U.S. beef restrictions Feb. 1
Story Date: 1/23/2013
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Source: Tom Johnston, MEATINGPLACE, 1/22/13
Japan could ease restrictions on imports of U.S. beef as early as Feb. 1, according to several media reports out of that country that quote its top health ministry official.
Norihisa Tamura’s statement to Japanese reporters in Tokyo today followed a food safety commission’s conclusion allowing imports of beef from U.S. cattle aged up to 30 months (from 20 months) would not pose a risk for bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE).
The relaxed age limit would mean that 95 percent of cattle slaughtered in the U.S. could qualify for export to Japan, up from some 20 percent under the 20-month rule.
News of the likely change helped boost major beef packers such as Tyson Foods, whose stock was up 23 cents, to $22.08, and rising steadily in mid-day trading on the New York Stock Exchange. Cargill, JBS and National Beef Packing Co. stand to benefit as well.
Consulting firm Global AgriTrends estimates U.S. beef exports to Japan will increase some 27 percent in 2013 compared with 2012, the firm’s Brett Stuart confirmed.
But some in the industry, such as the U.S. Meat Export Federation, are reacting with caution.
“USMEF has been very pleased with the progress of the regulatory review and the high level of support these proposed changes have received in Japan,” spokesman Joe Schuele said. “While it is encouraging to see initial discussion of an implementation date, it's very important to wait for more details before commenting on product eligibility, eligible slaughter and ship dates or any specifics like that. We hope to see more details emerge over the next several days.”
Japan was the largest buyer of U.S. beef prior to late 2003, when Tokyo banned the product following the discovery of the first U.S. case of BSE in Washington State. U.S. beef packers shipped 375,455 metric tons at a value of $1.4 billion in 2003, according to U.S. Meat Export Federation data. (Mexico was the second-largest market at the time, buying 334,736 metric tons at $874 million.) In 2004, with the ban in place, Japan imported only 797 metric tons of U.S. beef for $4 million.
Through November 2012, the U.S. shipped to Japan just under 144,000 metric tons of beef, a 3 percent dip in volume from the same period in 2011 but, at about $970,000, a 19 percent increase in value.
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