Japan to Resume Beef Exports to Australia

May 29, 2018

Tokyo- The agriculture ministry said Tuesday that exports of Japanese beef to Australia will resume as early as in July, as the Australian government has decided to lift its 17-year-old import ban related to mad cow disease.

Australia banned imports of Japanese beef in September 2001 following the outbreak of the fatal brain-wasting disease, formally called bovine spongiform encephalopathy, or BSE, in Japan.

Canberra's latest decision came on the grounds that the safety of Japanese beef has been confirmed.

With Australia having many Japanese restaurants and attracting a number of Japanese tourists, the agriculture ministry expects a certain level of demand for Japanese beef in the country.

In 2000, Japanese beef exports to Australia totaled some 200 kilograms. Jiji Press