Here's the Beef; U.S. Meat Served At Banquets, Barbecue Restaurants in Japan after Ban Lifted

By Joseph Coleman
Associated Press
December 26, 2005

Excerpt...

The California red was served, the oysters on the half-shell consumed. Finally, Bumpei Kawanaka had what he really wanted on his fork: a glistening red slice of American steak.

"It's very juicy and, of course, tasty," says Kawanaka, who became one of the first people in Japan to savor U.S. beef since the country eased an import ban. "It's a special taste."

American beef made a small but significant appearance on grills in Japan Dec. 19, signaling what U.S. producers hope will be a triumphant return to what once was their most lucrative overseas market.

The feasts - at a private party in Tokyo and a chain of barbecue restaurants in western Japan - followed limited meat shipments in recent days allowed by Japan's Dec. 12 decision to partially lift its embargo.

Japan shut its doors to American beef imports in December 2003 after the first U.S. case of mad cow disease, depriving producers of a $1.4 billion market - and consumers of a favorite meal.

Tasting the beef

The private banquet in Tokyo attended by Kawanaka was hosted by Nebraska, which held a good chunk of the market before the ban. U.S. officials praised the lifting of the embargo - and then lifted some ribeye to their lips.

"We are so happy ... to have you as the first people to taste the beef which we all know is delicious, safe and affordable," Dan Berman, minister-counselor for agricultural affairs at the U.S. Embassy, told some 30 guests before slicing into a steak.

At the same time in western Japan, the wider public got its first mouthfuls at the Zenshoku Korean barbecue chain.

American beef was on the menu in 30 restaurants in that region Dec. 19 and returned to 26 outlets in Tokyo and other parts of eastern Japan Dec. 20.

Despite the celebrations, it is expected to be weeks or even months before Japanese shoppers at supermarkets or diners at popular and cheap beef-and-rice bowl outlets savor their first tastes of U.S. beef.

Yoshinoya, a favorite beef bowl chain, also is concerned that remaining restrictions on U.S. imports will limit beef's availability. Japan has agreed to only import beef from U.S. cows 20 months or younger - a small percentage of the U.S. herd.

The American beef debut caps a long voyage back to the Japanese market.

Japan shut its ports to U.S. beef on Dec. 24, 2003, after the discovery of the first case of mad cow disease - formally known as bovine spongiform encephalopathy - in the U.S. herd.

At first, Tokyo demanded that Washington test each head of cattle as it goes to slaughter as Japan has done to contain its own mad cow spread, but U.S. producers balked, saying that was too costly and unnecessary.

After months of negotiation, the two sides agreed to allow the importation of meat from younger cows, which so far have been free of the disease. Japan's Food Safety Commission recently approved that decision.

U.S. beef still faces an uphill struggle in Japan, where consumers are particularly sensitive to safety concerns. Some restaurants are reluctant to market American meat until they are sure the public will be receptive.

Greg Ibach, director of the Nebraska Department of Agriculture, hit hard on those doubts in a toast Dec. 19, assuring diners that producers were willing to go all out to win back Japanese palates...

"...Over the past two years, our producers ... have embraced evolving international standards to maintain our reputation," Ibach says.

Beef Industry Recovering, Johanns Says

By LIBBY QUAID, AP Food and Farm Writer
Associated Press Financial Wire
December 21, 2005

Excerpt...

WASHINGTON – The beef industry is finally recovering from the discovery of mad cow disease in the United States two years ago and can expect a growing number of foreign customers, Agriculture Secretary Mike Johanns said Wednesday.

A major trading partner, South Korea, may soon end its embargo on U.S. beef, Johanns said. Japan lifted its ban last week, reopening a market that had been the most lucrative for U.S. cattle producers and meat processors.

"Certainly the pattern now is in the right direction, with Japan's decision. We've restored the vast percentage of trade in beef," Johanns said in an interview with The Associated Press.

At the same time, officials anticipate scaling back the higher level of testing for mad cow disease. Officials had increased testing from about 55 to 1,000 daily after the first case of mad cow disease two years ago,

"It was not a food safety initiative at all _ it was an attempt to get an idea of the condition of our herd," Johanns told the AP.

Authorities have now tested 556,143 animals and turned up a second case in a Texas-born cow in June. The number tested is about 1 percent of the 45 million adult cows in the United States.

Originally intended to last until this month, the expanded testing won't be scaled back today or tomorrow, Johanns said.

"But certainly sometime after the first of the year, we'll really start to engage in what that future testing regimen should be like," he said.

Johanns, a former Nebraska governor, ended the year on a high note. When he took office on Jan. 21, ending a Japanese embargo on U.S. beef was Johanns' top priority. The first American shipments of beef arrived last week in Japan, which was worth $1.4 billion to the U.S. industry in 2003.

South Korea, worth about $815 million in 2003, appears close to ending its embargo...

...Johanns said the swift resumption of shipments to Japan makes a strong case for the department's plan to have a nationwide system of tracking livestock movements.

Officials want the ability to pinpoint the movements of cows, chickens and pigs within 48 hours and have said they would let the industry run the animal identification program.

"Those that are able to trace and verify and identify their animals were able to get into the Japan market overnight," Johanns said.

Trade issues will dominate Johanns' agenda in the coming year. The secretary returned Monday from World Trade Organization talks in Hong Kong, where agriculture played a central role. There was no agreement on a broad framework for reducing subsidies, but Johanns said there is still plenty of time in 2006 to reach a global deal.

In the meantime, Congress will be preparing to write a new farm bill, which provides for the subsidies at issue in the trade talks. The department held 52 forums nationwide on the farm bill _ 22 by Johanns himself _ and will use the input from farmers to assemble ideas for the legislation.

"Anyone who ignores trade is jeopardizing 27 percent of the receipts for farmers and ranchers," Johanns said. "So the WTO process is definitely something we pay attention to."

Johanns also said the government needs billions of dollars from Congress to better prepare for the possibility of a bird flu outbreak. The is considering $3.8 billion for bird flu preparedness in a defense bill passed by the House early Monday; agriculture plays a small but crucial role in protecting poultry flocks, and Johanns' agency would get nearly $100 million of the money.

The Agriculture Department already is conducting surveillance and has a vaccination program. But that is "probably not to the extent we could do, that's for sure, with the additional funding," Johanns said.
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