Takuro Nishino Venison jerky for dogs sold on the Internet is gaining popularity among dog lovers nationwide. In an effort to provide pet dogs with high-quality protein, Sachiko Taguchi, a 41-year-old hunter of Kunisaki, Oita Prefecture, produces venison jerky by hunting deer and drying their meat. Crop damages by deer have become a serious problem in Kunisaki, but since most of the hunted deer are being disposed of, Taguchi said she wanted to make use of the deer meat. She developed different jerkies according to dog’s types and purposes such as for training and for gifts. The jerkies became popular as they responded to different needs and were domestically-produced. … Continue reading →

  Senior Staff Writer, Masaru Yamada “Is it only the producing areas in Italy which have the right to name their cheese Parmesan Cheese?” Protection of geographical indications is becoming one of the major points at issue in the agricultural sector negotiations for a free trade agreement between the United States and the European Union. As markets for value-added farm products are growing rapidly worldwide, conflicts between them have grown fiercer than ever before. 55 out of a total of 100 U.S. Senators jointly sent a bipartisan letter on March 11 to U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack and U.S. Trade Representative Michael Froman, strongly criticizing the EU’s stance concerning … Continue reading →