Japan offers 'real opportunities' to help boost UK's red meat exports

Japan is a major importer of beef with a growing demand for high quality lamb

With Japan lifting its long-standing ban on UK beef and lamb, this year’s Foodex trade show is expected to offer opportunities to help boost the country’s red meat exports.

The UK's three meat levy bodies, AHDB, and Quality Meat Scotland (QMS) and Hybu Cig Cymru – Meat Promotion Wales (HCC), will join 3,500 exhibitors and 85,000 buyers across the globe.

A trade delegation of British processors will also attend the show to gain insight into the local Japanese market.

The show comes as Japan lifts its import restriction on UK beef three years earlier than planned following the 1996 BSE ban.

The ban was implemented 23 years ago after the outbreak of bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE), also known as 'mad cow disease', in the UK.

Japan is a major importer of beef with a growing demand for high quality lamb. The lifting of the ban is estimated to be worth almost £130 million over the first five years of gaining market access.

To take advantage of the Japanese market, meat levy bodies will showcase premium cuts of UK beef and lamb, as well as pork products, to demonstrate quality and versatility to key influencers in the Asian marketplace.

'Major boost'

AHDB’s International Market Development Manager, Dr Phil Hadley said attending this year’s Foodex Japan show is 'more important than ever before' if the UK is to reap the rewards of the new deal.

He added: “Gaining market access for UK beef and lamb was a major boost for the industry, but it is critical that we build on our existing work within the Japanese marketplace to find opportunities for our red meat exporters.

“Foodex Japan is Asia’s largest exhibition dedicated to food and drink across Japan and the rest of the world, therefore it’s vital that we attend this event and make full use of the resources and networking opportunities this show presents.”

With a population of 127 million, Japan is the eleventh biggest country in the world and the third biggest economy.

But with a lack of sufficient agricultural land to feed its population, the country relies on imports for around 60 per cent of the food it consumes.

The UK has enjoyed strong growth in pig meat exports to Japan – with latest figures showing volumes of fresh and frozen pig meat up almost 80 per cent in 2018 compared to the previous year, according to HMRC.

As part of ongoing work to grow exports to Japan, AHDB’s Consumer Insight team produced a new ‘Country Focus Report’ earlier this year, which provides a topline look at consumer eating habits and buying behaviour in Japan.