Texas Agriculture Daily News
U.S. beef agreement with Japan to take effect Friday
Thursday, January 31, 2013
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New terms of agreement relaxing the import of U.S. beef into Japan will officially go into effect Friday according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack and Trade Representative Ron Kirk recently made the announcement that the U.S. and Japan have agreed on the new terms which allow Japan to import beef from U.S. cattle under 30 months of age.
The previous agreement was 20 months of age.
According to the USDA, the new agreement will “result in hundreds of millions of dollars in exports of U.S. beef to Japan in the coming years.”
"This is great news for American ranchers and beef companies, who can now–as a result of this agreement–increase their exports of U.S. beef to their largest market for beef in Asia," Kirk said. "This represents a significant and historic step in expanding U.S. beef trade with Japan and growing American exports and jobs here at home. We welcome Japan's action."
Through the agreement, both nations will allow regular and ad hoc consultation to review progress under the agreement and address issues that may arise.
Japan implemented bovine spongiform encephalopathy-related trade restrictions on U.S. beef in 2003. Until that point, the nation was the largest importer of U.S. beef. The Japanese market reopened to U.S. beef in 2006.
For more information on the new agreement, visit USDA.gov.
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