EU to lift import bans on eggs and egg products from Japan

TOKYO, Feb. 23 ― The EU will open doors to Japanese eggs and egg products, such as mayonnaise and cakes, the Japanese agriculture ministry has said.

Some egg products, which was on the exemption list by the European Commission in January, can enter into the EU market as early as Feb. 24.

But products whose egg and dairy products content amounts to 50 percent and above will have to meet the EU’s restrict standards, including the Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP) and animal welfare.

The announcement came within a month when the Japan-EU Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) came into effect on Feb. 01.

The trade deal is dubbed “cars for cheese” because of business opportunities for Japanese carmakers and EU farmers, means EU duties on Japanese vehicles and parts will be phased out and EU farmers also will save duties.

And the pact sweeps away almost all EU tariffs on Japanese farm products and processed food, but regulatory barriers to trade must be improved for Japanese farmers.

The EU has still placed import bans on Japanese pork and chicken due to outbreaks of livestock infectious diseases, such as classical swine fever and bird flu.

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