FSIS Posts Details of Agreement on Beef Exports to Japan
The Foreign Agricultural Service posted the details of a deal that will extend the ability to export beef to Japan to beef from cattle less than 30 months old. Japan’s beef import restrictions, introduced by Japan in response to bovine spongiform encephalopathy, originally limited the age of cattle to 20 months. The new terms will take effect Feb. 1. Highlights of the agreement include:
Sign up for a free preview to unlock the rest of this article
If your job depends on informed compliance, you need International Trade Today. Delivered every business day and available any time online, only International Trade Today helps you stay current on the increasingly complex international trade regulatory environment.
Derived from cattle of under 30 months of age. To qualify for export of beef to Japan, all establishments must implement an Agricultural Marketing Service-approved “Less than 30 Months Age Verification Quality System Assessment Program.” AMS must audit and ensure compliance with the program before a meat establishment exports to Japan.
Products must be recognized. Beef and beef products exported to Japan must be recognized by the U.S. and Japan as eligible products.
Cattle must originate in approved country. The cattle must be born and raised in the U.S., or legally imported from a country Japan recognizes as eligible for export.
Certification. U.S. establishments must be certified to export to Japan. Certification will be complete when the Food Safety and Inspection Service sends to Japan a notification of a facility’s listing in the Meat and Poultry Inspection Directory.
Japanese inspections. Japan may conduct on-site audits of the U.S. inspection system through representative samples of the meat establishments that export beef or beef products to Japan. In the event of non-compliance, the U.S. will be notified and FSIS will issue a Non-compliance record. Once corrective and preventative measures have been taken, the U.S. will inform Japan.
Export certificates. Eligible products must be accompanied by a FSIS Certificate for Export of Beef and Beef Products to Japan.
(See the agreement for more details. See also ITT's Online Archives 13012819 for summary of the U.S. Trade Representative's announcement of the agreement.)