【News】New EU-standard beef production plant to double Miyazaki wagyu beef export by 2020(Feb. 17, 2017)

Miyazaki Prefecture will build a new Miyazaki beef production plant for export to the European Union, allocating JPY1.7 billion from its budget this year. The new plant to be built by the fiscal year 2018 will implement HACCP (hazard analysis and critical control points) system and animal welfare practices to meet the requirements for the export to the EU. The prefecture aims at boosting Miyazaki wagyu beef export to 400 tons, double the volume in the fiscal 2015, by entering the new market. Miyazaki Prefecuture will have a new and the first beef production plant that meets the EU standards. It will be operated by Miyachiku, a local beef production … Continue reading

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【News】 ZEN-NOH exercises experimental ocean shipment of fresh strawberries to Hong Kong with controlled atmosphere shipping container to cut transportation costs (Feb. 22, 2017)

ZEN-NOH (National Federation of Agricultural Cooperative Associations), a national business organization of agricultural cooperatives based at Chiyoda ward, Tokyo, completed an experimental ocean shipment of 4,700 packs of fresh strawberries (averagely 200 grams per pack) to Hong Kong by February 22. These strawberries will be demonstrated at Japan’s Strawberry Fairs to be held there. ZEN-NOH has been seeking for a possibility of exporting Japanese strawberries to Hong Kong by sea. Staff members of ZEN-NOH will receive the shipment in Hong Kong and check hardness and shape of strawberry fruits as well as make a research on consumer trends at the Fairs. Ocean freight is much less than air freight, but … Continue reading

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【News】 Two hundred municipalities join campaign of reducing food loss in Japan (Feb. 21, 2017)

“A campaign for all food served to be eaten” is now spreading throughout Japan. A pioneer of the campaign is Fukui prefecture which launched a movement of “Eat all foods to be served!” in 2006. As many as 1,239 restaurants and retail shops joined the campaign against the food loss in the Fukui prefecture by selling smaller portions of dishes and small-sized packs of foods to consumers. The campaign has become common among the people of the prefecture. Nagano prefecture followed Fukui by promoting a similar campaign of reducing food waste in 2010. According to a survey conducted by the Nagano Prefectural Government, an average amount of general waste per … Continue reading

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【News】 Avian flu outbreaks in Taiwan: Every emergency measure taken for containment (Feb. 19, 2017)

Taiwan’s government decided to adopt emergency measures banning transportations of poultries and eggs throughout the country, since outbreaks of highly pathogenic avian flu viruses have been continuing particularly in a central part of the country. The government is urgently making effort to contain the spread of the bird flu as early as possible, taking into account a lesson learnt in 2015 that a delay in taking measures required at the initial stage caused a spread of the disease in many areas. According to the official announcement, the transportations of poultries will be totally banned for seven days starting from February 17, and the meat processing houses are ordered to suspend … Continue reading

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【News】 Ministerial meeting between Japan and EU fails to break deadlock on EPA talks (Feb. 19, 2017)

Negotiations on the Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) between Japan and the European Union (EU) have reached a deadlock. Regarding talks on farm trade, one of major agendas of the talks, EU negotiators have been continuously taking a strong attitude demanding Japan to open its market at a higher level. It is still difficult for Japan and EU to bridge the distance. Japan’s Minister for Foreign Affairs, Fumio Kishida, met his counterpart Cecilia Malmström, EU’s Commissioner for Trade, at Bonn, Germany, on February 17, when the G20 Foreign Ministers Meeting was held there. Although Minister Kishida and Commissioner Malmström confirmed their intention to make an early broad agreement on EPA, they … Continue reading

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