Tag Archives: News

【News】 Japan-Australia EPA fuels growing sense of crisis among domestic cattle breeders (April 3, 2014)

  Hirobumi Senbongi Kumamoto As negotiators work to conclude the Japan-Australia economic partnership agreement, domestic cattle breeders are increasingly worried about the impact of possible reduction in tariffs on Australian beef. In Kumamoto Prefecture, a major beef production area, prices of Japanese brown cattle plummeted after the liberalization of Japan’s beef market in 1991 followed by reduction in tariffs on beef imports. As a result, the number of Japanese brown cattle raised in the prefecture dropped more than 80 percent compared with the time before the liberalization, and the number of beef producers also declined by 80 percent. Farmers, who had gone through such experience in the past, are strongly … Continue reading

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【News】 Australian beef competes with domestic Holstein beef, government tells Diet (April 2, 2014)

  Beef imported from Australia competes directly with domestically-grown Holstein beef, the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries said Tuesday, April 1, indicating that the ongoing negotiations on the Japan-Australia economic partnership agreement should focus on minimizing the impact on Japan’s Holstein cattle breeders. In a meeting of the Diet’s Lower House agricultural committee, the ministry said the retail price of Australian beef was JPY203 per 100 g in fiscal 2012, JPY100 lower than domestic Holstein beef whose price was JPY303. Responding to a question by Hiroki Hayashi, member of the new opposition party Yuinotoh, the ministry explained that in terms of average wholesale prices of domestic beef in fiscal … Continue reading

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【News】 The World Farmers’ Organization calls for cooperation among developed and developing nations (March 29, 2014)

  Senior Staff Writer, Masaru Yamada – Buenos Aires Representatives of farmers worldwide discussed the need for both industrialized and developing countries to cooperate to support family farmers and tackle such issues as food security and climate change at the fourth general assembly of the World Farmers’ Organization held on Thursday, March 27, in Buenos Aires. On the second day of the meeting, Toshiaki Tobita, vice head of the Central Union of Agricultural Co-operatives (JA-Zenchu), made a speech on the JA’s role in supporting farmers and revitalizing local economies. Tobita, who attended a session on “value chain” – how to create values in production and distribution of agricultural products – … Continue reading

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【News】 Agricultural cooperatives federation obtains exclusive right to environment-friendly seed disinfection technology (March 28, 2014)

  The National Federation of Agricultural Co-operative Associations (JA Zen-Noh) announced on Thursday, March 27, that it has been granted an exclusive license to use ThermoSeed – a new disinfection method for grain seeds – in Japan. JA Zen-Noh says the technology, which eradicates all kinds of diseases on seeds using hot humid air, can contribute to cutting costs and improving business conditions of rice and wheat farmers. JA Zen-Noh Executive Director Shuji Yamazaki and Douwe Zijp, CEO of Netherlands-based INCOTEC Group which markets ThermoSeed, also announced that the two parties signed a partnership agreement to spread the technology among Japanese farmers. JA Zen-Noh plans to ask agricultural experiment stations … Continue reading

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【News】 Venison jerky for dogs popular among dog lovers (March 25, 2014)

  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

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