Tokyo – Amid mounting tension over Japan’s ban on American beef, the head of the U.S. Meat Export Federation warned Thursday it would take years to regain lost market share even if Tokyo did reopen its markets.
Proposed restrictions on what U.S. beef would be readmitted mean that only as much as 35 percent of American cattle would be eligible for export, federation president Philip Seng said in Tokyo. “When the market opens, it won’t be like it was before,” Seng said.
Amid pressure from U.S. beef producers, Japan is weighing whether to lift the ban it imposed after a cow in Washington state tested positive for mad cow disease in 2003. U.S. lawmakers lashed out at Tokyo earlier this week for delaying a decision and warned it could lead to sanctions.
Seng urged Japan to quickly reopen the market but said U.S. exports would rebound to only half their pre-ban level in the first year of resumed trade. It would take two or three years to reach the estimated 250,000 metric tons the U.S. was shipping annually to Japan before the ban, Seng said.
The Japanese committee studying mad- cow issues convened earlier this week but postponed a decision on whether to lift the 20-month ban on U.S. imports.
A draft report says that imports should be restricted to meat from cattle younger than 21 months with birth certificates. Japanese officials would also be granted on-site inspections of U.S. farms to ensure quality.
