Japan reopens its doors to imports of Canadian beef

Japan is lifting the last of its restrictions against Canadian beef, 20 years after BSE, often called mad cow disease, devastated this country's cattle industry.

The federal government says Japan is reopening its doors to processed beef and beef patties from Canada.

The move puts an end to the market access barriers Japan put in place in 2003, after a case of bovine spongiform encephalopathy, or mad cow disease, was discovered in Alberta.

"Cattle producers are grateful for the removal of trade barriers for processed beef in Japan, our second-largest export market for beef," Nathan Phinney, president of the Canadian Cattle Association said in a statement.

"We look forward to continuing to work with the Government of Canada to further remove remaining trade barriers and expanding our trade capacity in the Indo-Pacific region."

The federal government says Japan is now Canada's second-largest market for beef, with exports worth $518 million in 2022 largely due to Canada's preferential access under the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP).

"This accomplishment ushers in a new era for Canada and its second-largest market for beef and beef products: expanding market access for Canadian exporters," a spokesperson with the federal government said in a statement.

"While also benefiting Japanese consumers who will have greater access to Canada's high-quality beef products." 

Japan initially shut its border to all Canadian beef but it has been lifting restrictions in stages over the years, most recently with its 2019 decision to begin accepting Canadian beef from cattle older than 30 months of age.

Around 40 countries closed their borders to Canadian beef during the height of the 2003 BSE crisis, resulting in billions of dollars in losses for the industry.