Senior Staff Writer, Masaru Yamada
Japanese beef is set to be exported to European Union nations for the first time as early as in May. The Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare has informed the EU that it approved two meat processing facilities in the nation which meet hygiene standards for exporting, and requested the EU to allow beef imports from Japan.
To prepare for the shipment of Japanese beef to the European market, the Japan External Trade Organization plans to hold a business meeting for buyers in Paris and London in June. Although Wagyu beef produced outside of Japan is already marketed in European countries, people “have strong interest in real Wagyu beef produced in Japan,” according to Satoshi Shimomura, a JETRO official in charge of agricultural and food products. Shimomura says JETRO hopes to convey the taste of Japanese-made beef and appeal to professional beef buyers in order to facilitate exports.
The National Federation of Agricultural Co-operative Associations (JA Zen-noh) is also getting ready to market its beef products in Europe. It has set up an office in London to seek business partners and conduct marketing activities for European beef importers, as well as preparing to open restaurants.
Japan’s exports of beef products, mainly Wagyu beef, totaled roughly 900 tons in 2013, equivalent to JPY5.8 billion. The products are sold mainly to the United States and Asian countries, and exports are expected to expand largely if Europe-bound shipments start.
Japan and the EU have been negotiating on hygiene requirements for beef exports since 2005. According to Koji Takimoto, a health ministry official in charge of food safety, EU officials said in March last year that they would allow beef imports from Japan under the condition that the ministry designates processing facilities for EU-bound beef with hygiene standards and animal welfare standards equivalent to those of the EU. The ministry has, through prefectural governments, recruited meat processing facilities interested in exporting beef to the European market and conducted screening.
The ministry’s guideline for exporting beef to the EU is as long as 51 pages. It indicates strict and detailed requirements for beef export facilities, similar to those required for facilities which export beef to the United States. It requires processing facilities to introduce the Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP) system to ensure safety of meat products. As a requirement unique to the EU, it also includes animal welfare obligations.
(April 29, 2014)